


Abducted

by neyla9



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Language, Alternate Universe - Aliens, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2018-07-24 11:27:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 44,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7506469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neyla9/pseuds/neyla9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dipper Pines is a twenty-four years old man who lives a normal, albeit lonely and sucky life. While his sister is engaged, he has had a stream of terrible blind dates. His sister is pursuing her passion by becoming a fashion designer, he's stuck in a job he hates repairing computers.</p><p>Until one day, after receiving a weird ad, Dipper Pines is abducted by aliens. He doesn't know why the aliens did it, or what they want from him, but maybe this could somehow lead to something good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Captured and Sold

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've been wanting to write this AU for a while, and then I wrote it and wondered if I should publish it, because this fic is very selfindulgent. I mean, all my fics are very selfindulgent, that's kinda the point of fanfiction, that you write whatever you want to, and no one can stop you. But for some reason, I think this fic is going to be really selfindulgent, and I'm not even sure I can explain why.
> 
> But then I decided that if there is even one person who might like this fic, I should upload it, so I did:3

Dipper Pines had always thought he lived a relatively mundane life, and he had always thought he would continue to do so. He worked a boring job repairing computers, which he hated, and barely managed to put food on the table. His sister, who had recently gotten engaged, had tried to set him up on countless blind dates, all of them ending terribly. Aside from all that, he lived in a very small, crappy apartment, unable to even get a pet to combat his crushing loneliness, due to the landlord’s strict rules on pets.

Until one day, his sister had sent him an odd e-mail; it had been forwarded from one of her friends, who had thought the e-mail was funny. It was apparently an ad for some kind of vacation or traveling agency. The ad was written in broken English, talking about meeting new kinds of people, seeing impressive and exotic sights, and, weirdest of all and most likely a translation error, the ad promised “Love and pleasurability by new lifepartner”.

Dipper had chuckled at the ad, finding it humorous. His sister had suggested that maybe he should go to the address on the ad. After all, maybe it would be just what he needed. Dipper had scoffed at the idea at first, but he really didn’t have anything going for him. Besides, what was the worst thing that could happen?

Those thoughts had echoed in Dipper’s mind, when he drove to the address, only to find an empty lot. He looked around for a bit, but found nothing there. Sighing in defeat, Dipper returned home, and decided to go early to bed.

When he opened his eyes later, the sight that met him nearly made him scream. He was no longer in his apartment; the room he was in looked more like a futuristic dental medical center. He was lying down on what looked like an examination table, and two humanoid creatures were standing over him.

One of them had light green skin, pink hair and eyes, and a feminine physique, but no visible breasts. The other had blue skin, with orange eyes and hair, and a more masculine physique. Both of them looked mostly humanoid, aside from their slit pupils, and the green one dragging a long, lizard-like tail after her. They also each had some kind of black markings on their cheeks, and wore black robes.

“Yov nehnir tra’z naro, Fricto,” the green one said, seemingly excited judging by her tone.

“Tra yz,” the blue one responded, his tone more serious and authoritarian. He looked at Dipper and continued to speak. “Azorq viel faz jaar oun zaimei zafsunur,” he pulled out a needle filled with a purple liquid. “Vour dorud routo hess kria letah raqoad, faz oqouraroz qaratli.”

“I don’t understand,” Dipper shook his head and tried to move away, but found his body was strapped to the table. “Please, let me go!”

“Mi-mi,” the green one said, patting Dipper on his forehead. The blue one injected the liquid into Dipper’s bloodstream, the familiar pain of any injection following.

“Efil griqaw,” the blue one said, putting the needle away; Dipper didn’t know if he was addressing Dipper or the green one.

“Efil ryryrx!” the green one said, pulling out some kind of gas mask, and placed it on Dipper’s face, covering his mouth and nose. When a strange smell began to enter through Dipper’s nose, he realized what they were doing, and fought as hard as he could to stay awake, but the gas still managed to knock him out.

 

When Dipper woke up, and saw that he still wasn’t in his apartment, he quickly put two and two together; he had been abducted by aliens, and it seemed like they wanted to experiment on him. However, after taking a look at his new surroundings; a room, bigger than his apartment, with a soft bed, a couch, a bookshelf, a kitchen area, a table with a chair, a door that Dipper suspected led to the bathroom, and a see-through glass wall on one of the room’s sides, and a group of three other aliens looking at Dipper through said glass wall, Dipper began to suspect that maybe he was an attraction in some kind of alien zoo.

He walked up to the glass wall and took a look on the aliens on the other side; they all seemed to be dressed in clothes that seemed much more expensive, compared to the first two Dipper had met. Two of the aliens were observing Dipper with bored expressions, but the third one, Dipper presumed male, looked at Dipper rather intensely; the alien had almost completely black skin, which stood in stark contrast to his golden hair and eyes, the markings on his cheeks, only a few shades darker than his skin, looked like triangles.

Dipper decided to ignore his observers, and looked through the book collection; they were all human books, but only a handful of them were in English. Dipper settled on Pride and Prejudice, and sat down in the couch, trying to read, but he could still feel the gaze, from that one alien, on him.

After a handful of hours, a small chime sounded, and Dipper looked up from his book; he had gotten a slightly bigger crowd, but they were all starting to leave at the sound of the chime. The one alien that had been staring at Dipper seemed to linger for longer than the others.

An alien, whom Dipper recognized as the green one from before, hurried the other aliens to leave, before turning to Dipper’s cage. She touched something that was out of Dipper’s field of vision, and it opened a part of the glass wall, big enough for Dipper to walk through.

When Dipper made no move to leave, the alien made a come-hither motion with her finger, and Dipper walked up to her.

“Qane,” she said and began to walk, looking over her shoulder to see if Dipper was following her.

Dipper decided he might as well do as he was told, for now. He still had no idea what exactly was going on, but maybe, if he bid his time, he could find some way to escape and get back home.

They walked past a couple of other aliens, who gave the duo brief glances, but otherwise paid them no mind, as they walked down a long corridor.

The female alien led Dipper into a room, which looked almost like a theater dressing room, with tons of different clothes on hangers, and multiple vanities, various products decked out on said vanities. She opened a door on the other side of the room, and handed Dipper a towel, along with a bar of soap and a bottle of, presumably, shampoo.

“Hels, kria dorud idi soseil,” the alien pushed Dipper into the room. “Graxar kria’z vihi, yov varr xora kriakir qlarez neyafre.”

The door was shut, leaving Dipper alone in a room that reminded him of a spa; most of the space in the room was taken up by a giant bathtub, which was already filled with warm water that smelled like exotic fruits and flowers. Beside the tub stood a bucket, also filled with hot water, presumably meant for washing the shampoo out, and a small wooden bench, where Dipper placed his towel.

Dipper knew he probably shouldn’t, but with all the stress and confusion from the last hours, he decided that he may as well, so he stripped his clothes off and sank down into the warm water.

He had no idea what the aliens had come into the water, but whatever it was, it made his muscles relax instantly. He washed his body and hair, but mostly he just spent the time enjoying the moment; it had been ages since he had last taken a long, hot bath.

Once his skin started to prune, however, he decided he had, had enough for today, and got out of the tub to dry off. After using the surprisingly soft towel to dry off, he used it cover up as best as he could, and knocked on the door leading out.

“Hey, uh, can I have some new clothes?” he asked, wondering if the alien could even understand him. The door opened, and the alien stood there, carrying some white clothes in her arms.

“Omoimo,” she said, handing off the clothes to Dipper, and closing the door afterwards.

Dipper took a good look at the clothes, and immediately balked; it was a tight, skimpy top with short, loose see-through sleeves, a bottom-piece that looked like it was part of a bikini set, and a see-through shawl made to be worn like a long skirt.

He wondered for a moment if he could ask for something else to wear, or just wear his own clothes, but he didn’t want to know what would happen, if he refused to wear it. So, swallowing his pride, he put the outfit on, and walked out the door and back into the dressing room.

The alien woman was patting a chair in front of a vanity, like she wanted Dipper to sit in it. Dipper obliged, and the alien began to brush and style his hair, putting some kind of oil in it that made it shine, as well as some spray that made his curls more prominent. After that, the alien gave Dipper what looked like a collar, with a small green gemstone embedded in it, on, along with two bracelets, also with a green gemstone embedded in them.

“Kria zaa raokir ies,” the alien said, smiling brightly. She gently took Dipper by the arm and led him through another door.

The room they arrived in was filled with people; most of them seemed to be aliens of the same species as Dipper’s… handler? But there were other alien species there too, in similar outfits as Dipper’s, all of them carrying a tray of drinks and handing them out to the other aliens.

Was that the reason Dipper was there? Had he been captured to be some kind of exotic slave to these aliens?

The alien woman handed Dipper a tray of glasses; all of the glasses were filled with a light purple liquid, but each glass also had some kind of coin at the bottom.

“Mowa, xyra nholo dseniry routo graxi kria xast,” she said with a smile and walked off. Dipper assumed he was meant to hand out the drinks. He decided to do that, while also see if they had abducted other humans, hopefully someone who could speak English, and perhaps look for a way out.

 

That plan hadn’t turned out successfully; while most of the other abducted people looked humanoid, none of them seemed to be human, and none of them spoke a word of English. Dipper had tried multiple of the many doors, but they were all locked, leaving him without much hope.

In the meantime, many of the aliens, who weren’t abducted, had come up to Dipper. Most of them gave him a look-over, as if judging his appearance, and then either pointed to the tray with a questioning expression, like they were asking Dipper for permission to take one, in which case Dipper would respond with a small nod, which luckily seemed to mean the same to this alien species as it did to Dipper, while others would, after their quick onceover, leave without getting a drink.

Dipper was beginning to feel tired, having walked around for, he didn’t know how long. The room had plenty of couches and comfy chairs, but Dipper was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to sit down.

He had four glasses left, when another alien, silver skin, purple eyes and hair, and circular markings on his cheeks, stepped up to him.

The alien, seemingly male, grabbed Dipper by the chin, looking him over.

“Let go!” Dipper explained, mostly on reflex. The alien ignored him, probably because he couldn’t understand Dipper, but then another alien, one that Dipper recognized stepped in and grabbed the silver one, pulling him off of Dipper.

“Tra zokirl routo lox tra kruxl,” the alien, whom Dipper recognized as the golden-eyed one who had been observing him before, growled in a threatening tone.

The silver alien looked shocked, and turned to Dipper, stuttered out: “Sonne trif!” before hurrying over to the opposite side of the room.

“Thanks,” Dipper sighed in relief. “I know you can’t understand me, but I appreciate what you did there.”

The alien man smiled widely at Dipper and pointed to the tray.

“You can take as many as you want,” Dipper chuckled. The alien’s smile got wider, and he took two glasses, one in each hand, and walked off.

 

About half an hour later, Dipper, and the other slaves(?) were escorted out of the room. Dipper was led by the green alien to, what looked like, the backstage of a scene.

“Mowa qane rirkou nanord,” she said, sounding excited. She patted Dipper on the forehead, like she had done previously. “Kria varr zaz yasurr efil,” she continued in a caring tone. Dipper could hear the sound of people from behind the curtains. If it was the backstage of scene that probably meant that people were taking their seats, but Dipper had no idea what he was doing here, and he was starting to get really nervous.

“Vour yz mowa neyafre,” a voice sounded over some loudspeakers. The green alien woman smiled at Dipper, while pushing him out to the other side of the curtains.

Just as Dipper had suspected, it was some kind of auditorium or concert hall, or maybe even a theater. As he used his arm to shield his eyes from the bright spotlight, he could see that the seats were filled with more of the same aliens. Dipper could feel a small amount of stage fright, seeing all of them staring at him, but the stage fright was overwhelmed by a paralyzing fear of what was about to happen.

“Lox ir xeqe,” the voice over the loudspeakers said.

Someone in the audience raised a hand; in it he was holding one of the coins from the drinks Dipper had been serving.

“Neno rhoizab cuts!” he shouted out. A low chuckling sounded from some of the aliens in the audience.

Another alien, this one presumably female, raised a hand, also holding one of the coins.

“Eym rhoizab sohura!” she called out, her voice more confident than the previous.

“Gyra rasrtor rhoizab sohura!” someone else shouted. Dipper looked and recognized the alien as the one that had saved him before; besides the easily recognizable golden eyes, the alien was holding up two coins instead of one.

“Suzum rasrtor rhoizab sohura!” the woman shouted.

“Idi sellis sohura!”

“Tma sellis sohura!” another alien yelled.

“Gyra sellis sohura!” the golden-eyed alien shouted. There was a faint mumbling among the audience, followed by complete silence.

“Vihi,” the voice over the loudspeaker said, and Dipper didn’t need to be a genius to realize what had just happened; he had been auctioned and sold off. It looked like he really was a slave.

 

The next hours, even days, blurred together; he was taken back to the cell he had awoken in, after getting knocked out, and waited. Dipper waited for his new… owner would come to get him, but for the first three days, the only people who arrived did so to bring him food, raw ingredients that Dipper had to cook himself.

Finally, on the fourth day, someone Dipper didn’t recognize came in and opened his cell.

“Follow with,” the alien said, Dipper relieved to finally hear English, albeit somewhat broken and layered with a heavy accent.

“You speak English?” Dipper asked.

“Only an small,” the alien responded. “Come; Master awaiting.”

Dipper felt his previous joy and relief falter, and followed the alien. She led him through the building, and finally outside of the building.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Dipper was outside again; the air smelled fresh and clear, more so than he was used to, and the sun felt warm on his skin. The alien walked over to a black, car-like, almost limousine looking, vehicle, and opened a door, gesturing for Dipper to get in.

Slowly and carefully, Dipper walked into the vehicle and sat down on the soft seat, the door closing behind him, only to realize he wasn’t alone.

“You!” Dipper exclaimed, seeing the golden-eyed alien right beside him.

“Yes,” the alien nodded.

“You speak English too?” Dipper asked in disbelief.

“I began to learn after I saw you,” he responded, his accent not as prevalent as the woman from before.

“Oh, I guess you did that, so you could give me orders more easily, right?” Dipper sighed, the reality of the situation once again catching up with him.

“’Orders’?” the alien frowned and rolled the word on his tongue, as if he wasn’t familiar with the word, before his eyes lit up in realization. “Yes, I did!”

“Fine, let’s get it over with,” Dipper shrugged. The alien then gently took Dipper’s face in his hands, and pulled him closer.

“Gazing into your eyes, I find them the brightest stars of all,” he whispered. “Your skin is smooth like the sand of Ikioro, and your scent reminds me of-“

“What the hell are you doing!?” Dipper exclaimed, wrenching himself away from the alien.

“Giving you orders?” the alien frowned. “I am sorry if the words have lost their meaning in translation.”

“No, those aren’t orders! Orders are something you tell a person to do,” Dipper explained.

“Oh, I see,” the alien took Dipper’s hands in his own. “Love me always, and bring me happiness-“

“What kind of orders are that?!” Dipper blushed and pulled his hands.

“What do you want me to say then?” the alien seemed to be just as confused as Dipper. “How do your people do it?”

“Well, my people don’t have slavery anymore,” Dipper replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Slavery? I know what that is, but… You aren’t that.”

“I’m not a slave? Then what the hell am I then?!”

“My mate,” the alien responded in a very matter-of-fact way.

“… Excuse me?”

“Like it said in the message, the one you responded to.”

“You mean that ad with the broken English?”

“I guess not everyone on this planet share my linguistic gift,” the alien mumbled. “Allow me to explain once we arrive home.”

“I don’t even know where I am,” Dipper sighed and flopped in his seat.

“The Zelphea Imno Galaxy,” the alien responded. “Although, your people probably call it something else. The planet is named ‘Noulara’, and my people are called Crauhloh. Currently, we are in Zieova, the capital of Cyonisia, and the biggest city on this planet. And soon, we’ll be in your new home; Cizester, the capital of my country of birth, Auldria.”

“My new home?” Dipper scoffed. “I don’t want a new home; I wanna go back to my real one, on Earth!”

“That is not possible right now,” the alien said. “Please, once I have explained everything, you might change your mind. In the meantime, my name is Brhithel Chiypherqi.”

“Bri, Bhi…” Dipper tried to pronounce the name a couple of times, but realized quickly that he couldn’t. “Can I just call you Bill?”

“Is that what you humans call a nickname?” the alien, Bill, seemed excited. “Yes, you may call me that.”

“Alright, my name is Dipper Pines.”

“Hmm, then I shall call you Pine Tree!”

“What? Why?”

“’Pines’ is an… abbreviation of ‘Pine Tree’, correct? That will be my nickname for you,” Bill explained.

“Don’t know why you would give me a nickname,” Dipper mumbled and leaned back in his seat.

“Oh! Look out the window!” Bill suddenly exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement. “We are about to land in Auldria!”

Dipper looked out the window, realizing that they had been flying without him noticing, and that they were currently flying over a rather purple landscape and a sea so clear that it looked cyan.

“Are your plants purple?” Dipper asked as the vehicle lowered.

“Yes,” Bill responded with a confident nod. “What color are your planet’s plants?”

“Uh, most of them are green.”

“What color is green?” Bill asked.

“Well, it’s the color you get when you mix blue and yellow,” Dipper shrugged, unable to locate anything green inside the car.

“… What is blue and yellow?”

“Yellow is… pretty close to the color of your hair and eyes,” Dipper explained. “And, uh, blue is like a darker version of your sea. I’m surprised you’ve learned all this English, but didn’t learn the names of the colors.”

“Colors are not very important in our society,” Bill admitted. “But it does not matter; I love to hear you explain them.” Bill punctuated his sentence by taking a hold of Dipper’s hand. Dipper gave the alien a cold glare and removed his hand from the hold.

Dipper felt the vehicle shake slightly, as if they had hit a tiny bump, and a few seconds later, the door on his side of the vehicle opened. Dipper stepped outside, followed by Bill, and found himself in front of a black mansion, one which architecture reminded him of Greek or Roman construct, along with a luscious front garden.

“Waei uru esuyale,” the alien who had opened Dipper’s door, and escorted him to the vehicle, announced.

“Say it so he understands it too,” Bill said.

“We are arrived,” she nodded to Bill, before bowing to Dipper, and shut the door.

“Let us go inside,” Bill smiled to Dipper, and walked to the front door of the mansion. The two walked into a foyer, a grand staircase in front of them, along with two doors made from dark purple wood. “Do you wish to see your room?”

“No, I want to know what’s going on,” Dipper growled, glaring at Bill.

“Of course,” Bill nodded. “Let us sit in the, uh… tea room?” Bill seemed unsure if he had chosen the right word. Dipper didn’t know if there was such a thing as a tea room and he didn’t care. “Come along.”

Bill walked through the door to the right, and down a long, wide hallway, before opening a door, which had to be the tenth on the left side, leading Dipper into a room with a comfy and sleek looking couch, two armchairs, and a coffee table.

Bill sat down in the couch and patted the spot next to him. Dipper sat down in one of the armchairs, just to spite the alien, although Bill didn’t seem bothered by it.

“Alright, what do you wish to know?” Bill asked, a patient smile on his lips.

“Let’s start with the whole ‘I’m your mate’ thing,” Dipper replied.

“Yes,” Bill’s face got a sorrowful look. “You see, little more than a few decades ago, when I had only lived for four sun rotations, a fatal disease appeared. It was only contractible by Egg-carriers, and every one of them was infected.”

“Wait, what are Egg-carriers?” Dipper asked. “Is it some sort of job?”

“I suppose you could call it the most noble of all jobs,” Bill’s face lit up a bit. “Egg-carriers are the ones who carry the eggs that the Egg-layers produce, until the eggs are strong enough to grow outside of the stomach.”

“But I’m pretty sure I’ve seen females of your species,” Dipper interjected.

“Gender does not decide who’s the Egg-layer and who’s the Egg-carrier,” Bill explained. “Those are two completely different things. Aside from that, not all Egg-carriers were killed,” Bill’s face turned solemn once again. “But by the time a successful cure had been created, more than ninety-eight percent of all Egg-carriers were… dead. As you can imagine, my people were panicked; with the small amount of Egg-carriers left, there was not enough different genes to prevent eventual inbreeding… Which is when a suggestion was made in the Council… We located multiple species on other planets, species we could interbreed with, and still receive fertile and healthy offspring. And now, whenever our mating season is only few moons away, we send out various messages for these planets, and await a response.”

“Okay,” Dipper took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry that your species was pretty much doomed, and that you had to resort to something like this… But that doesn’t change the fact that you kidnap people.”

“We do not,” Bill said indignantly, actually looking somewhat insulted. “I told you, we send out a message, and bring the people who respond here.”

“Your message said nothing about aliens!” Dipper shouted.

“Well, of course we cannot say that,” Bill argued. “Your species is still too primitive to receive first contact with another intelligent species.”

“Listen, I just want to go home,” Dipper sighed. “I thought your message was an ad for a travelling agency, or something along those lines. I don’t want to be your mate, and I don’t even think I’d be able to, uh, carry your eggs, or whatever…”

“No, you most definitely are,” Bill responded. “You have a stomach filled with gastric acid, which is all that is required.”

“Yeah, this kind of talk doesn’t make me want to carry your eggs anymore than I already do,” Dipper replied with a disgusted expression. “And besides, the fact that you bought me, doesn’t really make me swoon.”

“’Bought you’?” Bill frowned. “I did not; you gave me, not one, but two Affection Tokens.”

“… I think we’re having some cultural misunderstanding here… Do you think you can explain the process of this whole… mating ritual, or whatever it is?”

“I can tell things are handled differently on your planet,” Bill let out a laugh. “First, you of course need to see the, uh, doctor, to get injections to protect from foreign bacteria and viruses. Next you are placed in your rooms, where you are allowed some time to grow accustomed to your temporary place of residence, while any suitors are allowed to observe you, to see if they’d be interested. Then, you get, um, fixed up, and dressed in white clothes-“

“You know the name of the color white?” Dipper interrupted. “I thought you said colors weren’t important to your people.”

“White is the only color that is considered important, sacred even,” Bill explained. “You may have noticed that not many wear it. That is because only Egg-carriers are allowed to wear it, and are also greatly encouraged to wear it. The color white is somewhat of a status symbol.”

“Why?” Dipper frowned in confusion.

“Egg-carriers have always been considered precious and noble to my people,” Bill said, closing his eyes as if he was reciting some kind of holy scripture. “Even more so after the disease broke out.”

Dipper recalled how, just a few minutes ago, Bill’s servant had nodded to Bill, but bowed to Dipper. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now he realized just how odd that was, and now he also knew why the servant had done so.

“Once you are dressed,” Bill continued explaining. “You are given the tray carrying drinks; those drinks are filled with one Affection Token each, and each one of you has a different color, to distinguish one from another. Then, the suitors are allowed to go up to you and ask, without words, for one. If you find the suitor desirable, you may give them permission, and if not, you may reject them.”

“Wait, you aren’t allowed to talk to us?”

“Of course not!” Bill gasped as if Dipper had just said something provocative and indecent. “You must understand, at this point in the courtship, the suitors are nowhere near the level of you. Speaking to you would insinuate that we believe to be on equal ground. You are allowed to speak to us, because you are above us, but if we ever spoke to you-“

“But what about that one silver guy?” Dipper asked. “He talked to me, after you ripped him off of me.”

“Ah, yes,” Bill nodded, his face filled with disgust. “That was Zesan Tierqz; it was his first time, and… Let us just say his upbringing has been lacking,” Bill shook his head. “He knows as much about etiquette as a Kniefy.”

“So, he was actually being very rude?”

“Yes,” Bill nodded again, before a small smirk appeared on his lips. “And thank you for your generous offering. I was confident that I had won your heart, when you allowed me to take as many Affection Tokens as I desired.”

“So you did understand me!”

“One of the reasons I was late,” Bill admitted. “I was busy trying to learn your language. I was still somewhat rusty when I arrived, but I have been studying and polishing for the past days.”

“Alright, but what about the auction?” Dipper asked.

“’Auction’?” Bill tilted his head in thought. “I do not know what an auction is, but once all Affection Tokens have been given out, it is time for the suitors to prove themselves. In ancient times, we would battle to the death, thus proving that we could protect our mates, but those kinds of rituals have become counterproductive in modern times. Killing our own does not do much good, and physical strength is not necessary to prove you can take care of your mate. However, money is, and then it also serves the purpose of funding the people make our mating program possible.”

“Why don’t I just decide who I want to be with?” Dipper questioned.

“You already did, when you gave out Affection Tokens,” Bill explained.

“I didn’t even know that’s what I was doing!” Dipper protested. “And besides, it takes more than money to be a good spouse.”

“But money offers things like economical stability, luxuries both small and great,” Bill argued. “And at the very least, more money usually means more offspring; children are expensive. And on that note, your first suitor’s offering was pitiful,” Bill shook his head. “He basically insulted you with that low amount.”

“What did he offer?” Dipper asked, somewhat curious as to what that low bid had been.

“Nine thousand cuts,” Bill said, his face crinkled with mild disgust.

“I don’t know how much that is,” Dipper mumbled.

“I think it is close to… five hundred of your… dollars?” Dipper’s eyes opened wide. He knew that a human body on the black market was worth way more than that, but he still couldn’t help but feeling flattered that someone had thought he was worth even that.

“Wait, then what did you offer?” Dipper asked.

“My final offer was five million sohura,” Bill said. “A sohura is two hundred cuts.”

Dipper ran the math through his head, and if what Bill said was true, that meant that Bill had been willing to part with more than five billion dollars in exchange for Dipper.

Dipper stared at the alien, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape.

“As you have probably realized by now, I am rather wealthy,” Bill smirked. “If you stay with me, I can give you anything you desire~”

“… No thanks,” Dipper shook his head. “I’m not gonna lie; your offer is very tempting, but I have my own life, on Earth…” Dipper knew that was a weak argument, his old life had sucked, and he had hated it, but he couldn’t just stay here for the rest of his life.

“I see,” Bill’s mouth hardened into a straight line. “You… have someone who is waiting for you? Your mate?”

“No, I… I don’t,” Dipper scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Just my sister… Don’t you have any siblings who’d miss you if you just… disappeared?”

“No,” Bill replied forlornly. “I was the only fertile egg in my clutch, and my Kothrar died before I hatched. My Kethrar died from the disease.”

“I’m sorry,” Dipper said, not knowing what else to say.

“… When I saw you, I thought I had met my Musunathae,” Bill mumbled. “This had been my third time, trying to find a mate, and when I looked at you, I really felt I had found you. I thought, when you gave me two Affection Tokens, that you felt the same.”

“What is a ‘muse-u-na-thay’?” Dipper asked, knowing his pronunciation was way off.

“Musunathae is the one meant for you,” Bill explained. “Your best friend, most trusted confidant, and above all, the mate that the stars want you to have. Ancient scriptures says that when you first see your Musunathae, the world stops all around you, your vision goes black, but you can still see them , as clear as ever. From the moment you hear their voice, all other sounds and all kind of music is inferior; you only wish to listen to them forever, and nothing else.”

“I’m sorry, but none of that happened to me,” Dipper shrugged. “It might be because I’m human, but it really sounds like you’ve just got a crush on me.”

“No! I would never hurt you like that!”

“No, a crush is like, when you’re infatuated with someone you’ve only recently met, and you think you’re in love with them, that they’re the only one, but then as you start spending time with them, and you get to know them, you realize that this whole idea of them being this radiant, flawless creature, is completely untrue, and then you either fall in love with them for real, or you just don’t have any more romantic feelings for them.”

“Is that part of human courtship?”

“I guess you could say that,” Dipper shrugged. “Back in the day, people gave each other gifts of flowers, candy, and sometimes expensive jewelry. I mean, people still do that, but not as much as they used to. Now the biggest part of human courtship is getting to know the other person, like do you have similar interests, do your personalities fit, are you able to get past your disagreements and compromise, and you know stuff like that.”

“How do you find out?” Bill asked curiously.

“Well, at first, you go on dates, which are like outings to different places, like parks, cafes, restaurants, zoos, basically anywhere you want. And then, once some time has passed, you start living together, which really helps figuring out how you’d, hypothetically, work as a family unit.”

“Yes,” Bill said dramatically with a confident smile. He rose from his seat and looked at Dipper. “I shall seduce you the human way, and thus prove that I am your Musunathae!”

“No,” Dipper said deadpanned. “I am not staying here; I want to go home.”

“But you cannot,” Bill protested.

“I’m not gonna let you keep me here!” Dipper shouted.

“It is not my decision!” Bill argued. “If I could bring you to Earth, I would-“

“No, you wouldn’t, you’ve made that perfectly clear,” Dipper interrupted.

“You have seen too much to return to Earth,” Bill explained. “Your new home is here, and no one can change that. Why not try to get the best out of it?”

“Because I don’t want to be here!” Dipper shouted. “And I never wanted to have anything to do with you, or your entire species!”

“Why do you keep insulting me?” Bill looked at Dipper with a hurt expression. “I was not the one who brought you to this planet. I have been trying to treat you with kindness and make you comfortable, but you treat me as if I am some kind of villain. Is that truly how you see me?”

Dipper went quiet, unable to answer.

“You do not have to carry my eggs if you do not wish to,” Bill said, his voice quiet. “I want you to be happy, and I wish there was something I could do about this… But I cannot...”

“… Bill?” Dipper swallowed. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that… I’ve been angry and scared ever since I woke up on that examination table. And since you’re the first person I’ve had an actual conversation with, in a long time, I just took it all out on you… How do you say ‘I’m sorry’ in your language?”

“Voazo.”

“Voarso, Bill,” Dipper said, embarrassed at his bad pronunciation. Bill, however, laughed. “I didn’t accidently say something stupid, did I?”

“No,” Bill chuckled. “But your accent is adorable.” Dipper blushed at that. He had to admit that he did find Bill attractive, for an alien. “Come, let me show you your room.”

 

{Translated Alien Dialogue}:

 

"Yov nehnir tra’z naro, Fricto" = "I think he's awake, Doctor"

"Tra yz" = "He is"

"Azorq viel faz jaar oun zaimei zafsunur" = "Thank you for joining mating program"

"Vour dorud routo hess kria letah raqoad, faz oqouraroz qaratli" = "We need to inject you with this liquid, for everyone's safety"

"Mi-mi" = "There, there"

"Efil griqaw" = "Good job"

"Efil ryryrx" = "Goodnight" / "Sweet dreams"

 

"Qane" = "Come"

"Hels, kria dorud idi soseil" = "First, you need a bath"

"Graxar kria’z vihi, yov varr xora kriakir qlarez neyafre" = "When you're done, I will have your clothes ready"

"Omoimo" = "Here you go"

"Kria zaa raokir ies" = "You look beautiful"

"Mowa, xyra nholo dseniry routo graxi kria xast" = "Now, give these drinks to whoever you like"

 

"Tra zokirl routo lox tra kruxl" = "He said to let him go"

"Sonne trif" = "Sorry"

 

"Mowa qane rirkou nanord" = "Now comes the big moment"

"Kria varr zaz yasurr efil" = "You will do very well"

"Vour yz mowa neyafre" = "We are now ready"

"Lox ir xeqe" = "Let us begin"

"Neno rhoizab cuts" = "Nine thousand cuts"

"Eym rhoizab sohura" = "Ten thousand sohura"

"Gyra rasrtor rhoizab sohura" = "Five hundred thousand sohura"

"Suzum rasrtor rhoizab sohura" = "Seven hundred thousand sohura"

"Idi sellis sohura" = "One million sohura"

"Tma sellis sohura" = "Two million sohura"

"Gyra sellis sohura" = "Five million sohura"

"Vihi" = "Done"

 

"Waei uru esuyale" = "We have arrived"

"Musunathae" = "Soulmate"

"Voazo" = "Sorry"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first chapter down. I don't know how many chapters there'll be, since I don't have the entire story fleshed out yet. And as such, there'll probably be very irregular updating, especially since I have other fics to tend to.
> 
> Also, if you pay attention to the alien language, you might realize that they are two: The aliens Dipper first meet all speak Cyonian, along with Bill since he is in Cyonisia, whereas towards the end, Bill and his servent speak Auldrinish. Yes, I made two alien languages for this fic. Why? Because a pet peeve of mine in Scifi is when one planet only speaks one language.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a comment if you want to:3


	2. Understanding The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Dipper go on a date, and begin to learn, not just about each other, but about their different cultures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this didn't take as long as I expected:3 I was floored by the overwhelmingly positive reception this fic got. I mean, wow, I had not expected you would like this so much. Now I just hope this chapter lives up to your expectations...

Dipper was awoken by the sound of someone knocking on a door. He opened his eyes, and found himself in the room that Bill had brought him to, lying in a soft, warm bed that could fit five people.

Dipper stretched his still tired body and sat up.

“Come in,” he said and the door opened, revealing Bill.

“Good morning,” Bill greeted him with a smile. “What would you like for morning food?”

“You mean breakfast?” Dipper got out of the bed, holding up the white, gown-like robe he had slept in, so he wouldn’t accidently step in it and fall.

“I… do not know what humans eat,” Bill admitted in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

“Well, humans generally eat everything, as long as it’s edible,” Dipper shrugged, following Bill out of the room, and down the hallway. “Meat, fruits, vegetables, seeds, dairy-“

“What’s dairy?” Bill asked.

“Milk and products made from milk,” Dipper explained.

“I do not know what milk is,” Bill said.

“Doesn’t your planet have any mammal species?” Dipper frowned as the two reached the kitchen. “I mean, what do your newborn children eat?”

“Food…?” Bill replied, sounding confused.

“Well, when mammalian animals are born, and humans are mammals by the way,” Dipper took a seat by the kitchen island and began to explain. “They can’t eat normal food, so the mother produces milk, which the children drink. And, for some reason, in ancient times, humans began to drink milk from cows, which humans still do, and along the line, we started using milk to create other things, like cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and more.”

“But where does the milk come out?” Bill tilted his head.

“Uh, from the, um, nipple,” Dipper mumbled. When Bill simply gave him a blank stare, Dipper blushed and opened his robe a little to show them, and Bill’s eyes grew wide.

“Are those…?” Bill paused and stretched out his hand like he wanted to touch them. Dipper smacked his hand away and quickly covered up.

“Uh, nipples are very sensitive, and humans consider them a very… intimate area,” Dipper explained.

“Can you produce milk?” Bill asked, shocking Dipper to the point, where he began to cough. “Are you alright?”

“’M fine,” Dipper assured him and took a deep breath. “No, I can’t produce milk… Look, this entire conversation is really awkward.”

“I can see that,” Bill nodded. “But we are going to have to talk about these kinds of difference. All known species on this planet gives birth by egg, so I do not think we have any… mammalian species. But I do not understand how you… gather the milk from the, uh, cow… Would the animal not be hostile to you?”

“No, humans have bred various other species for different purposes, and thus domesticated them. Doesn’t your species do that?”

“No,” Bill shook his head, but seemed to be interested in the idea. “So humans basically established a partnership with these other species?”

“I guess you could call it that,” Dipper shrugged. “I mean, yeah, we eat most of them, but in exchange we protect them from the elements, predators, and nurse them back to health when they’re sick.”

“So that’s how humans produce meat? We, Crauhloh, hunt for our meat.”

“There are some humans who still hunt, but it’s mostly done as a hobby,” Dipper paused as he heard his stomach growl, blushing slightly. “Sorry; all this talk about food is making me hungry.”

“Well, that is why we are here,” Bill chuckled. “So what do you want?”

“I dunno. What do you usually eat for breakfast?”

“Usually fruits and ‘fsaan’,” Bill went on to explain, “’Fsaan’ is crushed seeds, mixed with water, and um… baked, I believe the word is.”

“Humans have something like that,” Dipper responded. “We call it bread. Well, I think that would make for a good breakfast; back home I basically survived on instant noodles.”

Bill began walking around the kitchen, pulling out a knife and a cutting board, along with two pieces of a round, purple fruit with red bumps on it.

“What is that?” Bill asked while he cut the fruit into pieces, revealing an orange interior inside the fruit.

“Instant noodles are just a really cheap, quick and easy to make food,” Dipper explained. “It was all I could afford with my shitty pay.”

Bill took out two new fruits, these ones smooth and blue, and began to peel them, and then cut them. Bill then proceeded to open, what Dipper assumed was, the oven, and pulled out a steaming hot, very orange looking loaf of bread, then cut two slices. He placed the bread and fruit on two plates, placing one in front of Dipper, before sitting down beside the human, and began to eat.

Dipper took a small piece of the bumpy fruit, giving it a small glance over, before he put it in his mouth; it had a very sweet, citrus-y taste, followed by a somewhat bitter aftertaste. Dipper ate another piece of the fruit, before turning to Bill.

“So, what are we doing today?” Dipper asked.

“I thought we could go on one of those ‘dates’ you told me about,” Bill responded after swallowing a bite of the bread.

“Sure,” Dipper took a bite out of the bread; it tasted like ordinary whole wheat, only a little sweeter. “Where are we going?”

“Where do you wish to go?”

“Hmm… Does your planet have zoos?” Dipper asked after a bit of pondering. “A zoo is a place where different animal species are kept, so people can safely observe them.”

“No, we do not have anything like that,” Bill replied shaking his head slightly. “… Actually,” Bill paused for a moment. “We have something similar; a building containing many rare plants and insects. And it has a river running through, which sometimes has animals swimming in it.”

“That sounds great,” Dipper responded excitedly. “After all, I need to learn more about this planet, if I’m gonna live here…” Dipper slipped a piece of the blue fruit into his mouth; it had a sweet and sour taste. Dipper swallowed and turned to Bill, with a sadden expression. “… I’m never going back to Earth, am I?”

“… I am sorry…” Bill said.

The rest of breakfast continued in silence.

 

After breakfast, Dipper returned to his room, to try and find something to wear. A quick look in his closet revealed that, most of the clothes in there were white, and it all seemed to be gowns and robes. After rummaging through the closet, Dipper finally settled on a light blue gown that reached his ankles, and a white, very light robe, which he wore like jacket.

When Dipper arrived in the foyer, Bill was waiting for him, dressed in a dark red, loose shirt, and tight, grey pants.

“Hey, is it possible for me to get something, similar to what you’re wearing?” Dipper asked, pointing to Bill’s pants.

“Certainly,” Bill smiled. “I shall send word for it, and you will receive it as quickly as possible.”

“Thanks,” Dipper smiled back. He glanced at a nearby window; noticing that the sun seemed to really shine outside, Dipper realized that his pale skin, which he had gotten from spending most of his adult life, inside his apartment, would be very vulnerable. “Uh, do you have some sunscreen?”

“’Sunscreen’?” Bill frowned.

“You see, humans, especially the pale ones, are vulnerable to intense sunlight,” Dipper explained. “The sun can actually burn our skin, if we are directly exposed to it for too long, which can lead to some serious health risks.”

“Oh,” Bill looked down with a sad expression. “My species do not suffer from that, so a sunscreen has never been needed…” Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “Wait! I think my Kethrar had a sunscreen!”

He hurried out of the foyer, and returned moments later, carrying a white, frilly parasol.

“A sunscreen,” Bill declared triumphantly.

“Sunscreen is a type of crème,” Dipper explained, but took the parasol nonetheless. “Hmm… It’s a bit… feminine for my tastes, but it should shield me from the sun.”

“So we are still going?” Bill asked excitedly.

“Yes,” Dipper nodded. “Lead the way.”

Bill led Dipper outside the mansion and down the street. The first thing Dipper did, was fold out the parasol, held it in his right hand, and let it rest on his shoulder. The shade it provided was greatly appreciated, as it was rather warm.

“It is only a short walk from here,” Bill explained, walking on Dipper’s left side.

As they walked, Dipper spotted many other Crauhlohs, and even a few aliens of other species. One particular encounter that stood out to him was when they passed a family, a female Crauhloh walking with her mate, a humanoid alien with feathers instead of hair, along with a gaggle of five kids, who all seemed to be the same age. The kids, Dipper guessed they were around five, had stared at Dipper with curious eyes, but their parents pulled them away. Dipper had expected more people to react to him like that, but most, if not all, of the aliens didn’t seem to care, only given him a brief glance as they passed him; Dipper supposed they were used to seeing other species.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Bill asked.

“No, well, maybe a little,” Dipper shrugged. “There’s a lot to get used to.”

“I understand,” Bill nodded.

“It’s so weird, because some things seem so familiar, but then I spot the purple grass, and I’m reminded that I’m not on Earth, but on a different planet that I didn’t even know existed a week ago.”

“I can imagine. Living your whole life, never truly understanding that there’s an infinite universe, just beyond your solar system. And even though you always knew, a part of you could not comprehend it.”

“Yeah, that’s a pretty good way to put it. I mean, I knew humans couldn’t be the only intelligent species in the universe, but I never expected to actually meet any aliens,” a smile came to Dipper’s lips. “At least you guys are friendly, and didn’t try to destroy our planet, or use us as livestock.”

“Why would we destroy your planet?” Bill seemed genuinely confused, perhaps even a little bit offended.

“You see, when humans began to realize that the chances of us, being alone in the universe, were pretty scarce, a lot of people started to fear alien attacks. Humans have a natural fear of the unknown, so the idea of aliens is scary to most of us.”

“Why do your people fear the unknown?” Bill asked. “To my people, the unknown is something great; it stands for endless possibilities.”

“Well, it’s a survival mechanism,” Dipper shrugged. “On my planet, the unknown generally means danger, so during ancient times, being in a fight-or-flight scenario, when faced with the unknown, could be the difference between life and death.”

“Interesting,” Bill noted. “I assume your planet has many predators?”

“I guess,” Dipper shrugged. “I dunno, depends on where you live.”

Bill nodded, before pointing to a huge glass dome in the distance. “That is where we are going.”

“Looks like it’s gonna be even warmer in there,” Dipper sighed.

 

Dipper was right; as soon as Bill had paid for the entry fee, and the two entered the dome, Dipper was met with an immense heat.

“Is it too warm for you?” Bill asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Dipper responded, shaking his head and letting his robe fall to his elbows.

The dome was filled with life, not just from the many flowers, trees, and bushes, but also from different insects, flying and crawling around, buzzing and singing. The sound of a waterfall could be heard, probably connected to the river that Bill mentioned. The dome also seemed to have higher floors, most likely to get a better view of the artificial jungle.

Bill and Dipper walked down a stone path; a small wire fence was placed on the sides of the path, to discourage people from walking off it.

Dipper was looking around, taking in all the sights and flowery scents, when his vision was suddenly blocked by something. He let out a small surprised gasp, which scared away whatever had sat on his face. As his vision was freed, he saw the culprit fly down and rest on the back of his hand; it was an insect, which looked like a butterfly, only it had leathery, bat-like wings, but with a colorful, intricate design typical of a butterfly, and a long tongue, which it was currently using to lick Dipper’s hand.

Dipper brought the insect closer to his face, and blew on it, making the little insect retreat. Dipper turned to Bill, who was looking at him with a big, secretive smile, like he knew something Dipper didn’t.

“What?” Dipper asked, an angry frown appearing on his face.

“Nothing,” Bill replied, but his tone made it clear there was something.

“No, what is it?” Dipper insisted.

“Well,” Bill paused to chuckle, before he continued. “That was a ‘Kaigrumi’. There is a legend connected to it, which says that, in order to distinguish between its food sources, flowers, and everything else, it would only land on what it considers to be beautiful.”

“That…” Dipper looked away to hide his blush. “That’s stupid. It probably just thought my sweat smelled good, nothing else. I seriously doubt I live up to an insect’s beauty standards.”

 

During the next half hour, Bill teasingly insist that of course the ‘Kaigrumi’ thought Dipper was beautiful, how could it not? Dipper would respond with various groans, which then dissolved into silence and a flushed face at Bill’s continuing insistence.

The pair finally reached a bridge, crossing over the wide lake that was running through the dome. Dipper leaned over the railing on the bridge, gazing into the water below; there were a few water plants, like an algae-like vine that grew out of the water, and was attached to boulders beside the riverbed. There were also many fish, and even what looked like a cat-sized crocodile, with spikes on its back that looked like shark fins.

“What’s that?” Dipper asked, pointing at the small crocodile.

“A ‘Shreash’,” Bill said, while the creature in question opened its mouth, and swallowed a bunch of fish. “They generally do not grow beyond that size. Despite their appearance, they are that dangerous; they have no teeth, so they can only eat what they can swallow whole. They use the spikes on their back to intimidate predators that may wish to eat them.”

After looking at the aquatic animals for a while, with Bill explaining the various species, the pair moved on down the stone path, nearing the exit.

Dipper spotted a red flower, its petals looking like they had teeth growing from them, giving of the appearance of a gaping maw.

“Oh, do not get too close to that,” Bill warned him and pulled him away from the plant. “That is a ‘Varu Woza’; it uses its smell to lure creatures close, then its petals folds inward, trapping whatever it drew near, its teeth-like appendages then punctures its prey, filling the prey with venom, then the plant devours it. If you got too close to it, it may have managed to bite into your hand.”

“Thanks,” Dipper said, letting it go unsaid that he hadn’t planned to touch the plant anyway.

“Do not worry,” Bill responded in an assuring tone, as if he believed that Dipper was upset he couldn’t have the flower. “I am sure we can find something that would suit you more,” Bill turned to a tree that had blue flowers growing from its branches. He plucked one and presented it to Dipper.

“Uh, Bill, I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to take the plants,” Dipper said, but his words were ignored, as Bill placed the flower in Dipper’s hair.

“Human courtship,” Bill noted proudly. “I am giving you flowers.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to get trouble,” Dipper protested, while Bill practically dragged him to the exit.

Someone who, judging from the uniform, was probably a security guard, gave a small sideways glance to Bill and Dipper, but didn’t take any further action, and the pair simply left.

“Okay,” Dipper said once the two had left the dome. “I am pretty damn sure you aren’t allowed to take the plants.”

Bill simply shrugged, another secretive smile on his lips.

“What?” Dipper asked, but Bill didn’t respond. “What is it?”

“It is nothing you need to worry about,” Bill assured him, still smiling. “Let us just say that, I will reimburse them for the flower.”

“Bill, that doesn’t make any sense,” Dipper sighed. “But if you aren’t going to tell me, I guess there’s no reason to get upset about it.”

“So, would you say it has been a successful date?” Bill asked.

“Yeah, I had fun,” Dipper nodded.

“So what happens now?” Bill sounded genuinely curious.

“Well, sometimes after a successful date, humans kiss each other,” Dipper explained.

“What is kissing?” Bill asked.

“It’s a sign of love,” Dipper said. “There are different kinds of kisses, but the main meaning behind them all, is love, whether physical, platonic, or romantic.”

“We have something similar to that,” Bill said. “May I show you?”

“Okay,” Dipper responded carefully. Bill proceeded to brush his hair away from his forehead, and made a move to do the same to Dipper, but Dipper grabbed his arm. “Stop!” Dipper said, coming off slightly panicked.

“I am sorry,” Bill apologized and removed his hand from Dipper’s grip. “I did not know that area was so intimate to humans.”

“It isn’t,” Dipper assured him. “I mean, not really. It doesn’t hold any significant meaning. I just… I don’t like other people seeing my forehead.”

“Why?”

“I have this weird birthmark,” Dipper sighed.

“What is a birthmark?”

“Exactly what it sounds like; sometimes humans are born with marks on their skin. And anyway, I used to get teased and bullied a lot because of it, so I’m very self conscious of it.”

“I would never make fun of something like that,” Bill said, gently grabbing Dipper by the shoulders.

“I know,” Dipper looked away from Bill. “I just… I still find it embarrassing, so I just prefer to keep it hidden.”

“I understand,” Bill nodded. “I will not attempt to uncover it again.”

Dipper smiled at Bill, leaned up, and kissed him on the cheek. Bill looked stunned and flustered, Dipper could even swear Bill’s cheeks seemed to have darkened slightly.

“W-what was that?” Bill asked.

“That was a kiss,” Dipper responded and began to walk away, leaving Bill to follow him. “Well, a cheek kiss anyway. If our next date goes well, I might kiss you on the mouth.”

 

Back at the mansion, Bill had excused himself, saying he had business he needed to take care of, but that he would go to Dipper’s room after he finished.

Dipper was standing in front of a mirror in his room, robe discarded on the bed and gown halfway off, examining his arms and shoulders for any sign of sunburn. His skin had gotten a few shades darker, after walking in the sun for so long, but it seemed like the parasol had protected him from the worst of the sun’s UV rays.

He moved over to a bookshelf, placed beside his closet and half filled with books, and looked for something to read. He had hoped some of the books would be in English, but as he examined book after book, it seemed they were all in Bill’s language, or Dipper at least guessed so, since he didn’t recognize any of the letters used. One of the books he pulled out, however, did catch his attention; he couldn’t read the title, but the cover depicted a picture of The Big Dipper, which was odd, since Bill’s people shouldn’t know about that constellation.

Just as Dipper put the book back on the shelf, the door opened and Bill entered, carrying a big stack of books in his arms, which explained why he hadn’t knocked.

Dipper realized that the top of his gown was still off, leaving his torso exposed, just as Bill spotted that Dipper wasn’t fully dressed. Bill dropped the books and covered his eyes, while Dipper scrambled to pull the straps of the gown back up to his shoulders, all the while blushing furiously.

“I am sorry!” Bill exclaimed. “I did not… Sorry!”

“It’s alright,” Dipper assured. “I’m dressed now.”

Bill uncovered his eyes and began to pick up the books.

“I sent a letter to the Mating Program, asking for some of the books in your room there,” Bill explained, seeming somewhat flustered. He carried the books across the room, and placed them on the bed.

“Thanks,” Dipper said and picked one of the books up. “Although, some of these aren’t written in English, so I can’t read some of them.”

“Oh, I see,” Bill noted, averting his eyes from Dipper.

“Is something wrong, Bill?” Dipper asked, frowning slightly.

“Mhmm,” Bill hummed, looking nervous. “I do not think I should tell you…”

“Tell me,” Dipper commanded the other man.

“Ever since you… kissed me… I have been wondering, if the rest of your body is as soft as your lips…”

Dipper blushed. “Uh, I…”

“I should not have said that,” Bill turned around and began to walk towards the door, but Dipper grabbed him by the shoulder, preventing him from leaving.

“Hey, you don’t have to go,” Dipper said calmly. “It’s not like I didn’t know you had a crush on me.”

“It does not bother you that I have these thoughts about you?” Bill asked carefully.

“Well, you haven’t tried forcing yourself on me,” Dipper shrugged. “So I guess I don’t.”

Bill smiled and sat down on the bed. Dipper walked back over to the bookshelf, and pulled out the book with The Big Dipper constellation on it.

“Hey, Bill,” Dipper showed the book to the alien. “Could you tell me what book this is?”

“It is a poetry book,” Bill explained. “Written by a great philosopher, Cymoren Phonyls, and dedicated to his Musunathae, Ilsua Eol.”

“Oh,” Dipper placed the book back on the shelf, paying it no further thought.

“Now, you tell me what book this is,” Bill was holding up a copy of Romeo & Juliet.

“That’s Romeo & Juliet,” Dipper replied. “On my planet, it’s considered the greatest love story ever told.”

“Perhaps I should read it. It may help my English.”

“I don’t think so,” Dipper shook his head and let out a small laugh. “Shakespeare’s writings aren’t exactly the most up-to-date language-wise. I mean, I have English as a first language, and I can barely understand it half the time.”

“But I wish to know what it is about,” Bill pouted.

“I guess I can tell you,” Dipper shrugged. “The story is about two families that have been feuding for generations, so long that no one even remembers what started the feud. Two members of the families, Romeo and Juliet, fall in love with each other, and despite their families’ protests, they get married.”

“What’s ‘married’?” Bill asked.

“Don’t you know what a marriage is?” Dipper frowned. “Well, it’s kinda like being mates, only you hold a ceremony, called a wedding, where you invite friends and family. And then you promise to love each other, for the rest of your lives, in front of everyone.”

“We do have something similar to weddings. Only it is not mandatory. I decided to forego ours, since you do not wish to…”

“Yeah, about that,” Dipper scratched the back of his head. “Are you sure I should still wear white? I mean, you said that the color is pretty much sacred, and reserved only for egg-carriers…”

“No need to worry about that,” Bill assured him. “The mere fact that you are able to carry eggs, qualifies you for wearing white.”

“Okay,” Dipper nodded. “Anyway, in the story, during the wedding, someone from Juliet’s family, I think it was a cousin, gets into a fight with one of Romeo’s friends, and kills the friend. So Romeo retaliates, and murders Juliet’s cousin, which leads to him getting punished with exile. Juliet, distraught over being apart from Romeo, forms a plan with a priest, to send news that Juliet is dead. The priest gives Juliet a drug that makes her appear dead, so that her family won’t suspect a thing and will arrange a wake and funeral for her. Meanwhile, Romeo gets the news and returns from his exile to see her a last time. Only, as Romeo is mourning what he thinks is her dead body, he commits suicide by poisoning himself. When the drug Juliet took wears off, she finds Romeo’s corpse and sees the poison, so she takes Romeo’s dagger, and stabs herself in the heart.”

“Is that the story?” Bill asked, sounding and looking very upset.

“Well, there’s also some stuff about how Romeo and Juliet’s deaths, leads the two families to reconcile, but that’s basically the story.”

“Why did they take their own life?”

“They hoped they would find each other in the afterlife, I guess.”

“The ‘afterlife’?”

“Uh, people on my planet have different ideas about what happens to you after death,” Dipper explained. “Some people believe in reincarnation, while some people believe that you move on to some wonderful place, where all your deceased friends and family members are waiting for you.”

“My people believe in reincarnation. We believe that your musu will constantly be reformed, until you find your Musunathae. Then, the first of you who dies will wait for the other, after which, you become one and become a star in the sky.”

“What happens when the star die?”

“You are split apart once more, left to search for each other again,” Bill explained. “It was actually Cymoren and Ilsua who gave birth to that belief; on the five year anniversary of their death, a new star was seen in the sky. Our astronomers calculated that the star was about five light years away, meaning that it appeared around the time Cymoren and Ilsua died.”

“It’s a nice thought, I guess,” Dipper said. “But not really plausible.”

“I choose to believe it,” Bill responded. “I want to believe it.”

Dipper smiled and decided to leave the topic at that. He had another question for Bill anyway.

“By the way, I’ve noticed something about your people,” Dipper began.

“What is it?”

“Some of you have tails, but others of you don’t,” Dipper clarified.

“Yes, our tails,” Bill nodded. “In ancient times, they may have served some purpose, but now they are mostly in the way; most of us cannot even move them, making them thoroughly useless. Most people choose to have them removed, but it is an expensive procedure that not many can afford.”

“So it’s basically a status symbol?”

“I suppose,” Bill shrugged. A small beep sounded from one of Bill’s pocket, and he fished out a device about the size of a cell phone. “Hmm, I have to leave.”

“Wait, Bill,” Dipper stopped him again. “That thing you wanted to show me, the one you said was similar to kissing? Could you show without brushing my hair aside?”

Bill smiled and leaned down, gently pressing his forehead against Dipper’s.

“The forehead is a rather vulnerable area to my people,” Bill explained. “This act started out as a sign of trust, but then evolved into a sign of care and compassion.”

Bill walked out of the room, leaving Dipper behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, hopefully you liked that:3 Next chapter, we're gonna learn more about Bill and how his planet works.
> 
> Please leave a comment if you want to:3


	3. Attending Court

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper meets some of Bill's family members, and discovers exactly what Bill's job is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter was originally going to be longer, but I decided to split it into two chapters to improve the pacing, since a lot happens in this chapter, and there's going to be more happening in the next one too.
> 
> Also, I'm trying out something new to break up parts of the story. Please tell me if you like or dislike it.
> 
> Hope you enjoy:3

Dipper had only been on Noulara for a little more than two weeks. It had quickly become clear that, without a job, he needed a hobby to spend time on, when Bill was busy during the day. Noulara did have television, but since all of it was in language that Dipper didn’t understand yet, most of the programs weren’t very entertaining.

In the end, Dipper decided to start painting. He had never been the creative twin, his sister having always been the artistically gifted, but after Dipper had learnt from Bill that Crauhloh didn’t have paintings, Dipper decided to take it upon himself to fill that particular hole.

While the Crauhloh didn’t have paintings, they did have paint, used primarily to paint houses, so Bill had bought Dipper the smallest cans of paint he could find, along with the tiniest brush, and a huge piece of rectangular carton.

Dipper had spent a week painting, all the while having the TV run in the background, creating his first painting, while also getting more used to the sound and flow of Bill’s language.

Finally, his painting was finished, and he showed it to Bill the next morning.

“Okay, remember this is my first one,” Dipper warned Bill, preparing to remove the cloth covering the painting.

“I am sure it is fine,” Bill smiled encouragingly.

Dipper threw off the cloth, revealing the painting; a rainbow swirl of colors, blending into each other, creating a vortex of hues. Bill looked absolutely blown away.

“Well?” Dipper asked nervously. “How is it?”

“I… I did not know colors could look like that,” Bill mumbled. “It is breathtaking.”

“Thanks,” Dipper smiled brightly at the other man.

“Now, how about we go to the kitchen and get some breakfast?” Bill suggested, and the two left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you think you could paint me something for my office?” Bill asked during breakfast.

“Sure,” Dipper shrugged. “What do you want me to paint?”

“Whatever you would like,” Bill responded.

Just then, the door opened, and one of Bill’s servants, a woman named Saraqel, came in, carrying a letter with a wax seal on it.

“Hlir iaiz kirauka,” she said, handing Bill the letter.

“Breqr?” Bill asked, a frown already present on his face.

“Xexhurzea Tlummus,” she responded, nodded to Bill, bowed to Dipper, and walked out.

Bill groaned and opened the letter, only to groan once more as he read it.

“What is it?” Dipper asked.

“It is from my cousin,” Bill explained. “He is throwing a ball to officially introduce his new mate. And of course he sends out invitations on the very day of the event, expecting everyone to drop whatever they are doing, just to cater to him.”

“I get the impression you really hate this guy,” Dipper chuckled.

“He dislikes me as well, simply because I hold a higher rank than him,” Bill shook his head and put the letter away.

“Higher rank?” Dipper asked.

“In the court,” Bill clarified.

“Court?” Dipper blinked a couple of times, trying to process what he just heard. “Bill… Are you royalty?”

“My… uncle is the… I believe your people call it ‘King’,” Bill shrugged. “My title is ‘Sineas’, the closest equivalent to your people would be ‘Duke’.”

“You’re a duke?” Dipper stared at Bill with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? All this time I thought you were some kind of… ridiculously rich linguist!”

“I did not think it was important,” Bill frowned. “Anyway, I am sorry, but we are going to have to cancel our plans for today.”

“Damn, I had been looking forward to the museum,” Dipper grumbled and shook his head. “I still can’t believe this… You’re a duke.”

“Is it really that hard to fathom?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you’re a duke,” Dipper clarified. “It’s more that I can’t believe I am currently talking to a duke.”

“I do not see the difference between those two scenarios.”

“Whatever,” Dipper sighed. “Well, I hope you’ll fun at the ball.”

“Are… are you not coming along?” Bill asked, his voice quiet. “You do not have to come if you do not wish to… I mean, I understand why you might not wish to; I have not been completely honest…”

“About what?”

“While the vast majority of my people welcome other species like you, a few do not. Like I said, the vast majority are in favor, and it is moronic to oppose, since the interstellar mating program saved my people from extinction. When the Council made the decision to start the mating program, all but one were in favor; Xerex Qlostilf Zreipaelphi, my uncle. He believed that interbreeding with other species would have untold consequences, that it would weaken our blood. While his objections were overruled, they were nonetheless heard, and some have adopted this attitude, including my cousin. He cannot hurt you or directly insult you, since you are an egg-carrier, but I understand why you may not wish to meet him.”

“Bill, I’m gonna be honest with you,” Dipper said in a serious tone. “Ever since I started going to school, I have been bullied and made fun of. It’s gonna take more than a racist prince to send me running away; that’s not why I don’t think I should come…” Dipper looked away with a glum expression. “I don’t know anything about your people’s court etiquette; I’m just gonna embarrass you. I can’t understand your language, let alone speak it.”

“I do not see how you could ever embarrass me, Pine Tree,” Bill responded, sounding perplexed at the idea.

“What if I accidently trip over something?”

“People would most likely ask you if you are alright.”

“Well, what if someone starts talking to me, and I have no idea what they’re saying?”

“Then I will explain to them that you have not learned our language.”

“What about basic etiquette? I know nothing about it!”

“Pine Tree, relax,” Bill placed a hand on Dipper’s shoulder. “The etiquette is not difficult; you first greet the ones there with the highest ranking, which in this case is my uncle, then you greet the host. Other than that, you just act as friendly and polite as possible to the other guests, and refrain from causing or joining in on any physical or verbal alterations. Besides, I will be with you the entire time, and we will only stay there for an hour at most.”

Bill’s people measured time slightly different than Dipper was used to, so an hour would be about fifty minutes. Dipper supposed he could avoid humiliating himself for that long.

“Alright,” Dipper nodded, a small smile appearing on his lips. “But on one condition; we go to the museum tomorrow.”

“Deal,” Bill smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a good thing they rescheduled the museum trip, since it ended up taking all day to get ready for the ball; Dipper had gotten a bit more used to the different hygienic products on Noulara, but only the ones needed for everyday life, so Bill had to assist him. Normally, Dipper wouldn’t care about getting dressed up, but he was meeting actual royalty tonight, and royalty that would look for any reason to hate him too, so it was best to make a good first impression.

But Bill’s helping hand did force Dipper to think about something, something he had tried to repress and ignore; ever since kissing Bill, Dipper had started to notice a growing attraction to the alien. Sure, the attraction itself had been there since he started talking to Bill, but it was getting harder and harder to deny it. During the last week, his repressed feelings haunted him through dreams; Dipper had thought he was finished with wet dreams, when he turned seventeen, but apparently not.

It all made Dipper wonder, was it weird that he was attracted to an alien? Sure, Bill was humanoid, but he was definitely not a human. Dipper wasn’t even sure if they were sexually compatible, or if Bill’s species even experienced sexual arousal. It was just easier to let it go and not think about it, pretend that nothing had changed, but Dipper knew things had changed, and that his feelings would inevitably complicate matters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time evening came around, after having eaten a dinner consisting of some kind of stew, the pair walked to Bill’s vehicle and was driving to the party.

Dipper was dressed in a sleek, mint green gown, so long that it dragged across the floor, with bell sleeves and an off-shoulder neckline, another gown over it, this one white, with an intricate, rather swirly design pattern that was only noticeable in the right lighting, a straight across neckline, which was studded with small yellow gems, petal sleeves, and a slit down the middle of the skirt, showing the green gown underneath.

Bill was also dressed in a gown-like garment. His was yellow, with a scoop neckline, see-through bishop sleeves, a black pattern around the hem, and a black sash tied around his waist.

The ride there had been silent, Bill staring out of the window with a frown, and Dipper was far too nervous to start a conversation.

“We are only staying for as long as we have to,” Bill sighed as they landed, and Dipper wasn’t sure if he was talking to Dipper or himself. While Dipper exited the vehicle, Bill gave his chauffeur a message; “Suom hiri; waei uru curer neklado,” before following Dipper out.

They were standing in front of a massive mansion, much bigger than Bill’s. There were a lot of people around them, most of them walking towards the main entrance where a door guard stood, but some of them were standing around and talking.

“Well, let’s get this over with,” Dipper joked, trying to lighten the somewhat gloomy mood.

Bill didn’t respond, but began walking towards the entrance, leaving Dipper to follow. The door guard gave them a quick look before opening the door for them, bowing to them as they passed.

The room they stepped into was huge, the ceiling several stories high, the walls a warm, red-brown color, the floors covered in what was undoubtedly expensive rugs, several tables set up filled with food and drinks, and the sound of soft melodious music, which was barely audible over the many guests conversing amongst each other. At the back end of the room, the floor ascended with a few steps, leading to a golden throne where a middle-aged Crauhloh sat, a smaller empty throne beside him.

“That is Xerex Qlostilf,” Bill said, his voice low. “As the owner of this home, and as the one who holds the highest ranking, we are to greet him first.”

“Is there something specific I need to say, or…?” Dipper trailed off and swallowed audibly, already feeling his anxiety spike.

“You just bow to him and greet him,” Bill responded.

After traversing the ballroom, the pair approached the throne.

“Nlerooereqz, zhure bajona,” Bill said, bowing deeply.

The king turned his gaze from Bill to Dipper, who immediately felt like the king was looking right through him.

“Uh, ne-le-ru-rex, zu-re ba-yo-na,” Dipper managed to say before quickly bowing much deeper than Bill.

“… Nlerooereqz,” the king said, his tone stern and authoritarian, and Bill straightened up, Dipper hesitantly doing the same. “Siheas Brhithel, mri kaa el iao imirira huzu gostan da nathae.”

”Aol,” Bill nodded, a challenging look in his eyes.

“Re vargour thakkares… vapheela,” the king said, looking Dipper over.

“Shur uru pane sanan da czap elir gaduror,” Bill responded, his eyes narrowing.

“Re huzu shivesh kavo sihilxo amo xatone,” the king noted.

“Re huzu kavo umiumi kiimt hiri cour da sonome,” Bill argued. “Orhi xit idarm cusea lythri re.”

“… Xit uru… jirik otha kaa iao eqim, Brhithel.”

“Waei ronan kokko thlea iao kavo rihesh xit,” Bill glared and walked away. Dipper soon followed, feeling the king’s stare as he walked away.

“What were you talking about?” Dipper asked.

“Basically, he tried to get away with an underhandedly insulting you,” Bill explained. “I refused to let that happen. Then he pretended to be happy to see me, which I know is a lie.”

“Is there something to this you haven’t told me about?”

“My uncle and I have always been at odds with each other,” Bill sighed. “You see, when someone with a court title dies, and they have no heirs to inherit the title, the currently ruling Xerex can give the title to anyone they choose. My… grandfather gave the title of Siheas to my Kethrar, and when my Kethrar died, my uncle wanted to give the title to one of his children. He appealed to the Council, but since I was still alive, albeit very young, they denied his request.”

“Okay, I can see how that might lead to some awkward family get-togethers,” Dipper nodded in understanding. “So, what do we do now?”

“Now, we must greet the host, which would be my cousin,” Bill sighed, and the two began walking across the ballroom, looking for Bill’s cousin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few minutes, Bill began walking towards two people, a man and a woman. The man had skin so dark green that it was nearly black, cream yellow eyes and hair, said hair slicked back and reaching his mid back, the black markings on his cheeks looking like two small triangles, and wearing a robe that was very similar to Bill. The woman had light purple skin, blue eyes and hair, which was set up in two buns, wearing a white and purple robe, along with blue diamond shaped earrings, and markings on her cheeks that looked like water drops.

“Nlerooereqz, Xexuhrzea Tlummus,” Bill addressed the man with a tight smile on his face. The man, who had looked happy before, got an equally fake smile on his lips when he saw Bill.

“Nlerooereqz, Siheas Brhilthel,” the man responded and bowed his head. “Saryr pam nathae, Nahenna Hafronnee.”

Bill turned to the woman and bowed to her.

“Da anniy el saryr iao,” the woman smiled to Bill.

“Si uru xit?” the man pointed to Dipper.

“Pam nathae, Dipper,” Bill inched closer to Dipper in a protective way.

“Khairk re laheer mosote?” the man tilted his head, still staring at Dipper.

“Laist annado iao?” Bill’s tone had turned somewhat hostile, and he was glaring at the man.

“Emthath,” the man shook his head, a small smirk on his lips. He turned to address the woman. “Naneo, friee iao ghuziro aosie da sonsarry?”

“Irizilx,” the woman smiled warmly, and gently pressed her forehead to the man’s, in an affectionate way, before leaving.

“Friee mri lasruv iao da sonsarry?” the man asked Bill.

“Hia?” Bill questioned.

“Mri zess shilfo sicro zem iao imof nadon,” the man replied.

“… Kemth,” Bill grumbled and turned to Dipper. “Pine Tree, my cousin wants to talk with me about something.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Dipper asked, not having understood any of the previous conversation aside from a few words.

“He wishes to discuss something,” Bill explained. “I will be back as quickly as possible.”

And with that promise, Bill left with the man, walking through a nearby door and leaving the party.

Dipper felt awkward, nervous, and to a less degree, lost. He began twiddling his thumbs and rocking back and forth on his feet. Every time someone even came close to approaching him, Dipper felt like his heart was about to stop, making the wait for Bill almost intolerable.

After about ten minutes, Dipper decided that he couldn’t wait anymore, and went through the door that Bill and his cousin had walked through. He arrived in a small hallway with six doors, seven if you counted the door Dipper had entered through. One of the doors were slightly open, and Dipper could hear talking coming through it. He snuck up to the door and looked through it, spotting Bill and his cousin, in what looked like a heated argument.

“Re uru kavo da Ishilaheer!” the cousin shouted. “Re, ish ayasuruka xoms res, uru da emzuli sanan Ishilaheer.”

“Kaa iaiz nirsmir,” Bill hissed, his expression more angry and hateful than Dipper had ever seen him.

“Porv kavo,” the cousin smirked. “Iao shenae iao ixilraw res.”

Bill punched his cousin right in the jaw, sending him to the floor.

“Iao huzu kavo phenfoal sanan otha sicro sabived imof res,” Bill said in a dangerous tone.

“Mri raubca kajr,” the cousin got back up to his feet, smirk still in place. “Re uru kavo vudrodt; iao uru.”

“Laist?” Bill’s tone was almost a whisper.

“Shur uru ereywos nadon vudrod zem omiez ramrouc,” the cousin explained. “Mri safane vudrodt sarzur res, hmar xit uru iao. Iaiz asahom nathae foliren iao cusea jusudaele, re kavo umiumi zess linry iao!”

Bill was quiet. His previous angry expression was replaced with a blank look, but with an underlying sorrow to it.

“Bill?” Dipper couldn’t stand seeing that expression on Bill, and announced his presence.

“Pine Tree,” Bill turned to look at Dipper. “When did you…?”

“I… I want you to show me something,” Dipper lied, wanting to get Bill away from his cousin. “Come on.”

Bill gave a last look to his still smirking cousin, before he followed Dipper out.

“What were you talking about?” Dipper asked once they were back at the party.

“… It does not matter,” Bill sighed.

“Yes, it does,” Dipper insisted. “If something’s bothering you, then it does matter.”

“Pine Tree…” Bill paused and averted his gaze. “Are you… disgusted by me?”

“What?” Dipper frowned in confusion. “Where would you even get that idea?” Then it hit him. “Bill, what did your cousin tell you?”

“He… he said that you were so disgusted by me, that you did not wish to even touch me,” Bill explained.

“Bill…” Dipper placed a gentle hand on Bill’s cheek. “You know that’s not true, right?”

“It does not matter,” Bill shrugged. “I know it not to be true, but it still hurts me.”

“Then there must be a part of you that actually believes those words,” Dipper said. “Let’s go back home.”

Bill nodded, and they went for the exit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a long and quiet ride home, just as they were approaching the front door, Dipper placed his hands on Bill’s shoulders, and gave him a chaste kiss on the mouth.

“Mhm?” Bill looked at Dipper questioningly, a small blush in his cheeks.

“I told you that I might give a kiss on the mouth someday~” Dipper smiled and walked inside Bill’s mansion.

“Yes, but why did you do that now?” Bill asked, following the human inside.

“Because I wanted to,” Dipper shrugged. “Anyway, it’s late; I’m heading to bed.”

“Pine Tree, wait,” Bill said, but his tone was so low that Dipper almost didn’t hear it. “I do not want to appear presumptuous, or make you uncomfortable, but… would you sleep in my bed tonight?”

Dipper paused and took a look at Bill; he didn’t think he had ever seen the other man so vulnerable. Dipper wanted to be there for him, but on the other hand, with all the sexual dreams Dipper had been having, maybe it wouldn’t be so smart to sleep in the same bed as Bill. But Dipper knew he couldn’t say no, not when Bill needed him to say yes.

“Alright,” Dipper nodded. “I’ll get dressed, and then meet you in your room.”

Bill smiled, and just as Dipper was leaving the room, he swore he could hear a low “thank you”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dipper arrived in Bill’s room, dressed in a nightgown-like garment. Bill’s room was just as big and extravagant as Dipper’s, just in a darker color scheme. Dipper noted that the entire wall opposite of Bill’s bed was comprised of one big window, two moons hanging in the sky outside and shining a white light into the room.

Bill was sitting on his bed, dressed in black sleeping pants, his chest completely bare. The Crauhloh really didn’t have any nipples, and most of his chest, main his stomach, was covered in shiny black scales.

“Oh, I did not hear you come in,” Bill mumbled and slipped on a sleeping shirt.

“Sorry, I forgot to knock,” Dipper apologized, trying to hide his blush at having seen the other man half naked.

Dipper walked up to the side of the bed opposite of where Bill was sitting, pulled back the covers and lied down. Bill followed suit, leaving the two of them to gaze into each other’s eyes. Dipper broke the eye contact first, and bit his lower lip, contemplating whether he should follow through with a decision he had made.

“Is something wrong, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, looking at Dipper with genuine concern.

“Well,” Dipper sighed. “I’m sorta debating with myself over something…”

“Do you wish to tell me?”

“Bill,” Dipper raised a hand to his forehead. “I want to show you something…” he brushed his bangs aside, revealing his birthmark.

Out of all the reactions Dipper had expected, a careless shrug, teasing jokes, or even sincere compliments, he hadn’t expected the one he got; Bill looked absolutely shocked, his eyes widened and mouth slightly agape, but more than that, he was completely silent.

“What?” Dipper asked once the silence grew too loud.

“Nothing,” Bill shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face. “It’s nothing. Let’s go to sleep; we’re visiting the museum tomorrow, after all.”

Dipper smiled back and decided he could get an answer later. The two of them fell asleep, none of them even bothering to brush Dipper’s bangs back over the birthmark.

 

Hlir iaiz kirauka = From your cousin

Breqr? = Which one?

 

Suom hiri; waei uru curer neklado = Stay here; we are soon back

Nlerooereqz, zhure bajona = Greetings / (A very formal greeting), your majesty / (the way to address a Xerex)

Siheas Brhithel, mri kaa el iao imirira huzu gostan da nathae = Siheas / Duke Brhithel, I see that you finally have a mate

Aol = Yes

Re vargour thakkares… vapheela = He seems rather... fragile

Shur uru pane sanan da czap elir gaduror = There is more to a body than bones / (An idiom that basically means physical strength doesn't determine a person's worth)

Re huzu shivesh kavo sihilxo amo xatone = He still has not learned our language

Re huzu kavo umiumi kiimt hiri cour da sonome = He has not even been here for a moon / month

Orhi xit idarm cusea lythri re = At least he is trying

… Xit uru… jirik otha kaa iao eqim, Brhithel. = … It is… good to see you again, Brhithel

Waei ronan kokko thlea iao kavo rihesh xit = We both know you do not mean that

 

Nlerooereqz, Xexuhrzea Tlummus = Greetings, Xexuhrzea / Crown Prince Tlummus

Nlerooereqz, Siheas Brhithel = Greetings, Siheas Brhithel

Saryr pam nathae, Nahenna Hafronnee. = Meet my mate, Nahenna Hafronnee

Da anniy el saryr iao = A pleasure to meet you

Si uru xit? = Who is this?

Pam nathae, Dipper = My mate, Dipper

Khairk re laheer mosote? = Should he be wearing white?

Laist annado iao? = What are you implying?

Emthath = Nothing

Naneo, friee iao ghuziro aosie da sonsarry? = Naneo / (A term of affection, similar to 'sweetheart'), can you give us a moment?

Irizilx = Of course

Friee mri lasruv iao da sonsarry? = Can I have borrow you for a moment?

Hia? = Why?

Mri zess shilfo sicro zem iao imof nadon = I want to talk with you about something

… Kemth = … Fine

 

Re uru kavo da Ishilaheer! = He is not an Egg-carrier!

Re, ish ayasuruka xoms res, uru da emzuli sanan Ishilaheer. = He, and anybody like him, is an insult to Egg-carriers.

Kaa iaiz nirsmir = Watch your mouth

Porv kavo = Don't lie

Iao shenae iao ixilraw res = You are ashamed of him

Iao huzu kavo phenfoal sanan otha sicro sabived imof res = You are not allowed to speak that way about him

Mri raubca kajr = I was wrong

Re uru kavo vudrodt; iao uru = He is not the problem; you are

Laist? = What?

Shur uru ereywos nadon vudrod zem omiez ramrouc = There is clearly something wrong with your relationship

Mri safane vudrodt sarzur res, hmar xit uru iao. Iaiz asahom nathae foliren iao cusea jusudaele, re kavo umiumi zess linry iao! = I thought there was something wrong with him, but it is you. Your own mate is find you so disgusting, he does not even want to touch you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, time to work on the next chapter... As soon as I finish the next chapter of Masks & Capes; I don't want to neglect my other story:3
> 
> If you want to, please leave a comment, I always love to receive commentsX3


	4. Different Mediums of Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Dipper go to an art museum, followed by a rather tearful heart-to-heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was originally going to go with the previous chapter, but I decided against it. When you read it, you might guess why...

When Dipper awoke the next morning, he was confused at first, as he felt someone holding him. Then he remembered that he had fallen asleep in Bill’s bed, but he also remembered that they hadn’t been lying this close.

Dipper opened his eyes and saw the sleeping form of the alien, eyes closed, breathing steadily, mouth slightly agape, and his arms holding Dipper in a loose embrace.

Dipper was relieved that he hadn’t had any sexual dreams tonight, or this might have been more awkward than it already was, but as the situation stood, Dipper should probably still get out of Bill’s grip before the alien awoke.

Dipper attempted to careful extract himself from Bill’s arms, but Bill let out a protesting grunt in his sleep, and pulled Dipper closer, leaving Dipper stuck, his body pressed against Bill’s. At that point, Dipper decided it was probably better to wake Bill up, and hope the situation wouldn’t turn out too awkward.

“Bill?” Dipper said to the alien, managing to free one his hands, which he used to shake Bill’s shoulder.

“Mhm?” Bill hummed, opening his eyes, still looking half-asleep. When he realized the position he and Dipper were in, his eyes widened dramatically and he quickly let go of Dipper. “I am so sorry!”

“It’s fine,” Dipper assured him. “I don’t know about your species, but humans have a tendency to seek out warmth when they’re asleep, so…”

“You are… very warm,” Bill nodded.

“Your body felt kinda cool,” Dipper responded, hoping this would help deescalate the situation. “Are your species coldblooded? I mean, do your bodies generate their own heat, or do you absorb heat from elsewhere?”

“Our bodies do generate heat,” Bill explained. “ I think our body heat is lower than humans’… But I cannot tell for certain, as I am sure our species uses different measuring systems for heat.”

“Yeah, that’s probably true,” Dipper nodded. “How about we go downstairs and get some breakfast, and then go to the museum?”

“That sounds nice,” Bill smiled, and the two went to the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I am so glad I didn’t have any alcohol last night,” Dipper laughed as they finished up breakfast. “Or else, I may have punched your cousin in the face too; I can’t hold my liqueur.”

“’Alcohol’?” Bill frowned the way he did, whenever Dipper said something, he didn’t understand. “What is that?”

“You don’t have alcohol here?” Dipper asked.

“We might…” Bill responded, sounding unsure. “Maybe we call it something else? What is it?”

“It’s like, fruit juice or some kind of seed, mixed with sugar and yeast, you put it in an airtight container for a couple of weeks, and then you have alcohol.”

“That… that is poison,” Bill looked at Dipper with concerned eyes. “Your people drink that? Are you immune to poison?”

“Not really,” Dipper scratched the back of his head. “I mean, yeah, it’ll definitely kill us if we drink too much, but most of us only drink a couple of glasses.”

“Let me see if I understand this; your people drink poison, while knowing it can kill you?”

“Well, it’s kinda a cultural thing most places,” Dipper shrugged. “People like how it taste, and some people like getting drunk.”

“’Drunk’? Is that a bended version of ‘drink’?”

“No, it’s like a state that people come into, if they drink enough alcohol; we start feeling warm, our inhibitions are lowered, some people get really happy or angry or sad, and the next you get a massive hangover if you didn’t drink enough water alongside the alcohol.”

“It seems like the cons far outweigh the pros,” Bill noted.

“Hey, you can’t say that if you haven’t tried it,” Dipper replied. “Huh, that’s actually not a bad idea…”

“What is?”

“We can make some of our own alcohol!” Dipper responded excitedly. “I learned how to in chemistry back in high school!”

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” Bill asked worryingly.

“Sure,” Dipper said confidently. “I’ll write a list of things we need, and in about four weeks, you’ll get your very first taste of alcohol.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After breakfast, Dipper compiled a list of ingredients and equipment needed for making alcohol, which Bill translated and gave to one of his workers. Then the two got dressed, Dipper being relieved to finally have a pair of pants, loose and white ones, even if the shirt that went along with it was more of a tunic, which was a deep, almost sapphire, blue.

Bill was dressed in black pants, tighter than Dipper’s but still fairly loose, and a yellow wrap shirt. Dipper was beginning to get the impression that, despite Crauhlohs apparently not caring about colors, Bill might actually have a favorite color, yellow.

The two were driven to the museum by Bill’s chauffeur, so Dipper decided to forego the parasol, since they would be inside a building most of the time.

“What kind of art does the museum have?” Dipper asked as they walked up a flight of stairs to the museum’s entrance.

“Sculptures, photography,” Bill explained. “This particular museum actually has one of the oldest, and most expensive, sculptures on Noulara.”

“Really?” Dipper responded. “Well, I can’t wait to see it.”

“Unfortunately, it is on the way out,” Bill continued. “They want to save the best for last, after all.”

“Hey, next time, can we go to science museum?” Dipper asked.

“Of course,” Bill smiled. “There are plenty of places I want to take you.”

Dipper blushed at the last part, and tried to remind himself that Bill couldn’t possibly know he made a double entendre, and might now even know what a double entendre was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The museum trip turned out thoroughly enjoyable; Dipper got a chance to see some expert photography of the planet, thus learning some more about his current home. He discovered that while Noulara didn’t have a north or south pole, it did have a big island that was covered in ice and snow, and was basically uninhabitable to Crauhlohs. He also found out that a country, close to Auldria, was centered around an inactive volcano, the people of said country specializing in farming, due to the fertile soil.

He also got to see many sculptures, created in a style that reminded him of Greek or Roman sculpting, only instead of white marble, the sculptures were carved from a wide array of stone materials, including a dark green one with golden streaks, an almost translucent white one, and the most common one, a sleek, black material that looked similar to what Bill’s house was made of.

As the two of them neared the exit, Bill dragged Dipper towards a black statue; it depicted two Crauhlohs, both male, standing in front of each other, their hands gently holding a star, which seemed to emit some kind of powerful energy, as the two Crauhlohs hair and clothes seemed to be blown away from the star.

“This is the sculpture I told you about,” Bill explained. “It depicts Ilsua Eol and Cymoren Phonyls, but there is a wide debate about whether it depicts them as their star is born, or as it is being destroyed.”

“Who is who?” Dipper asked.

“Cymoren is on the right, and Ilsua is on the left,” Bill responded.

Dipper examined Cymoren; one thing that blew Dipper away when it came to this sculpture, was the amount of detail. He could see why it was one of the most expensive art pieces on the planet; Cymoren didn’t look like a sculpture, he looked almost real, the art even depicting the markings on his cheeks, which seemed to be triangles, sort of like Bill’s, only where Bill’s had a circle with a line through, making it looked like the triangles had eyes, Cymoren only had ordinary triangles. Dipper recalled that both Bill’s uncle and cousin had triangular marking on their cheeks, so maybe the triangles were a sign of nobility?

Dipper turned his eyes to Ilsua; the man depicted was certainly beautiful, it was no wonder Cymoren wrote poetry dedicated to him. It was hard to see Ilsua’s cheek markings at first, but Dipper moved around a little, using the lights to spot the marks, but what Dipper saw shocked him; Ilsua’s markings were identical to Dipper’s birth mark, right down to the small spots that weren’t even part of the constellation.

“Bill… What is that? On Ilsua’s cheeks?” Dipper asked carefully.

“Hm? Oh, that is Murnorms,” Bill explained. “They are markings that Crauhloh inherit from our parents, an easy way of identifying each other.”

“Yeah, I had figured as much,” Dipper responded, his voice getting somewhat strained. “What I meant what, why do they look exactly like my birthmark?!”

“That… is…” Bill was suddenly quiet, as if he knew the answer, but didn’t want to say it.

“Your people believe in reincarnation, right?” Dipper asked, folding his arms over his chest. “Then, tell me this, Bill; do you believe I’m the reincarnated soul of Ilsua?”

“… Actually, we call it ‘musu’,” Bill mumbled.

“I don’t care what you call it,” Dipper snarled, trying to keep his anger under control. “Stop avoiding my question; do you believe I’m the reincarnated Ilsua?”

“… Well, yes,” Bill shrugged.

“I can’t believe you,” Dipper groaned.

“But do you not see how this makes sense?” Bill asked. “So many Crauhlohs go through life, never discovering their Musunathae. If musu is capable of reincarnating in other beings, and vice-versa, it would explain why.”

“Bill… take me back,” Dipper said, his tone quiet, but determined.

“What?” Bill looked at him confused. “You… Do you not want to stay longer?”

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” Dipper responded, giving Bill an angry glare.

“Why are you upset?” Bill asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“Bill, I want to leave,” Dipper snarled.

Bill looked taken aback at Dipper’s sudden change in mood, but obliged, and the two went back to Bill’s vehicle, and back to the mansion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as they were back at Bill’s mansion, Dipper ran out of the vehicle, and into his room. He flopped into his bed and lay there, just thinking.

He knew he was overreacting, but he couldn’t help it; after everything that had happened, Dipper had thought that Bill had just let go of that soul mate business, and actually started to like Dipper, not just the fantasy of a soul mate. But of course, Bill still believed that Dipper was his soul mate. Dipper shouldn’t have let his guards down, he shouldn’t have allowed himself to develop feelings for Bill, and then it might not have hurt as much as it did.

But of course this was how it turned out, like it always did; Dipper would get too close to someone, hope that this time, it’d be different, only to end up alone again.

Dipper didn’t know how long he was lying in bed, but by the time he could see the sun setting outside the window, he heard a knock on his door.

Dipper realized it must be Bill or one of the workers, coming to tell that dinner was ready. Dipper didn’t feel like eating anything, and he didn’t want to spend time with anyone.

“I want to be alone,” Dipper responded to the one behind the door. For a while, he didn’t hear anything, but after a couple of minutes, he heard the faint sound of steps moving away from the door.

Dipper huddled down under the covers, deciding to try and fall asleep, and maybe things wouldn’t look so bleak in the morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours passed, and Dipper was forced to realize that he couldn’t fall asleep. His bed suddenly felt so big and empty, and his room too quiet.

It was dark outside when Dipper got up, only one moon shining that night. He turned on the light, and decided to find something to do.

He took out some paper, along with the paint Bill had given him, and started painting, using blue and black. The result looked mostly dark grey, with a couple of blue blotches splashed in.

Right as Dipper was about to color the still blank bottom part, someone knocked on his door. Dipper looked out the window; it was still dark out. He knew it was probably Bill, but also that he couldn’t keep ignoring this.

“Come in,” Dipper said as quietly as he could, hoping that Bill wouldn’t hear. The door opened and Bill entered, a glass of water in his hand.

“I… I was wondering if you were awake as well,” Bill said, closing the door behind him.

“We both know that’s not the reason you came here,” Dipper sighed and turned back to the paper.

“Are you painting something?” Bill asked. Dipper nodded and Bill walked over to him. “May I help?”

“… Okay,” Dipper responded and stepped back, giving Bill room. Bill placed the glass down, and picked up a brush before turning to Dipper.

“What color is the grass on your planet?”

Dipper was surprised, but pointed to the green paint. Bill dipped his brush in said paint, and began stroking the brush on the bottom of the paper. Parts of the green mixed with the blue/black mess, but the majority of green was left untouched, leaving the vibrant color to stand in contrast to the dreary ones.

“Wait,” Dipper took a new brush, dipped it in yellow, and then lightly dipped it in the glass of water, before applying three strokes to the painting. The end result reminded Dipper of a storm, with the sun trying to break through the clouds.

“It is beautiful,” Bill whispered.

“You said you wanted a painting to hang on your office?” Dipper asked. Bill responded with a silent nod. “Then it’s yours.”

“Thank you, Pine Tree,” a bright smile took over Bill’s face, but it disappeared quickly when Bill realized that Dipper was still upset. “You know we need to talk about this, right?”

“Yeah,” Dipper nodded and walked over to the bed. He sat down, Bill sitting down beside him.

“I do not understand why you got so upset,” Bill started. “Will you please tell me?”

“… I thought you were starting to like me,” Dipper shrugged.

“What?” Bill frowned in confusion. “But I already like you-“

“No, you don’t!” Dipper shouted. “You like your idea of me!”

“Please elaborate, I do not comprehend what you mean,” Bill said, a tone of despair in his voice.

“Your people have this whole idea of soul mates,” Dipper explained. “Don’t tell me that you didn’t grow up imagining what yours would be like, what your lives together would be.”

“That… is not entirely incorrect,” Bill admitted.

“See?” Dipper could feel unshed tears appearing in his eyes, but he did his best to hold them back. “Once you realize, I’m not like you imagined I would be, you’ll regret choosing me…”

“How can you say that?” Bill whispered and placed a hand on Dipper’s shoulder. “Do you honestly think a child’s imagination can surpass, or even measure, to actually finding your Musunathae?”

“But I’m not your Musunathae!” Dipper protested, tears beginning to fall. “What if you find your real one? What then?”

“… You pronounced it correctly,” Bill noted, before he used his thumbs to dry away Dipper’s tears. “Then I would stay with you. Meeting your Musunathae presents a great opportunity, but you are my reality.”

Dipper shook his head, more tears starting to fall.

“Actually…” Bill paused before continuing. “I did not want to say this, before I had a clear answer, but… I have sent a petition to the Council, asking for you to be returned to Earth.”

This only caused Dipper to break down further.

“What is it?!” Bill asked in a panicked tone, embracing Dipper and laying his head on his shoulder.

“Y-you d-don’t want m-me a-anymore,” Dipper sobbed, tears streaming down his face and getting Bill’s shoulder wet.

“That is not true,” Bill responded calmly, now that he knew what was wrong. “I only want you to be happy, and you said you wanted to go back home, so I filed a petition to the Council the day you arrived. It will take months before the Council sees it, especially since it needs to go through my uncle first. He will most likely do what he can to delay it out of spite, but there is a chance they might approve it.”

“I thought you wanted me to stay…” Dipper replied quietly, tears still falling.

“I do, but not if it makes you miserable,” Bill stroked Dipper’s back. “I am getting the impression that there is something more to this.”

“Mhmm,” Dipper held on to Bill tightly. “I… have never had a real relationship… Not because I didn’t want one, but because no one wanted to be with me… I don’t deserve this…”

“You are right, you do not deserve to be alone-“

“I mean I don’t deserve to be with someone as nice and caring as you!” Dipper interrupted, and began to sob again. “I c-can’t be what y-you deserve, or w-what you need… I’m t-too… broken…”

“Pine Tree… Dipper, you deserve to be loved,” Bill said determinately.

“N-no, I d-don’t,” Dipper shook his head. “In Elementary School, I never got any cards on Valentine’s Day, not a single one for six years! A-and in High School, a guy that I had a crush invited me to prom… He told me to meet him at the prom, but when I arrived, he was there with someone else! And he told me he had only invited me as a joke… And the next year, someone else tried to pull the same trick… Not to mention all my failed blind dates, or how every time I’ve had sex with someone, they’re already gone by morning, no note or even a message thanking me for the night! There’s g-gotta be s-something wrong with m-me!”

“No, no there is not,” Bill shushed him, stroking his back and gently rocking him back and forth. “I love you… And if this is the first time you have heard those words, I shall say it again; I love you. I do not care if you love me, but I will do whatever I can to make you love yourself.”

It was like a giant weight had been lifted from Dipper’s chest. Throughout his whole life, he had kept those words inside him, not wanting others to know that those things bothered him. He hadn’t even told Mabel about it. Tonight had been his breaking point, and he had feared that once everything got out, there would be no one there to pick up the pieces. But Bill did.

Dipper knew it would take a while before everything felt okay, and that there would always be a part of him that would hurt from the past, but maybe with Bill by his side, things wouldn’t be so bad.

Dipper dried his eyes and let go of Bill. Bill let go of Dipper as well, allowing the two of them to take a look at each other. As Dipper looked at Bill now, he suddenly didn’t seem so alien, and suddenly things didn’t seem so complicated. A feather-light warmth began to spread through Dipper’s entire being, something that filled him with joy and peace.

He began to move closer to Bill, his lips feeling almost electrified at the thought of kissing Bill.

“I think we should go to bed,” Bill said abruptly, apparently not reading the mood. “It is getting very late, after all.”

“Yeah,” Dipper nodded, trying to ignore the new feeling blossoming inside him. “That reminds me, why weren’t you in bed?”

“I could not fall asleep,” Bill responded. “My bed felt so… cold…”

“Maybe it would help to sleep in mine?” Dipper suggested, a slight blush on his cheeks.

“But where will you sleep?”

“With you,” Dipper explained. “Is that alright?”

“Yes, that would be… nice,” Bill smiled.

The two went to sleep, lying just a bit closer to each other than the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if you haven't guessed why I decided to split up these chapters, it's because of this: Feels. Last chapter had a lot of feels, and this chapter had even more. But at least things are moving in the right direction now, right?
> 
> Please leave a comment if you want to:3


	5. Learning To Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper and Bill's relationship is still stuck in a grey area. Dipper doesn't know what to do about it and his scared of the many possible outcomes, while Bill doesn't make any moves, not wanting to push Dipper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, but at least the plot's moving now:3

It had been a week since the tear filled heart-to-heart with Bill, and things had changed. Dipper didn’t know if Bill noticed, since it was mostly small things, mostly concerning Dipper, not that there wasn’t a change in Bill either.

Dipper found himself in a rather confusing situation; suddenly he had a crush on Bill. He had been finding the alien attractive pretty much from the start, and he had considered Bill a friend for a while, but now romantic feelings were getting into the mix. Suddenly, he felt like a freshman in high school again, eyeing a fellow student. The only difference was, this time he knew the one he had a crush on loved him.

And the main reason why Dipper knew that Bill loved him was because, not a day went by without Bill telling Dipper that he loved him. It could be a small exchange in the morning over breakfast, a joyous confession at some point during the day, but no matter how many times Bill had said it, he always whispered it to Dipper before they went to sleep.

That was another thing that had changed; the two now slept in the same bed. They couldn’t sleep without the each other, so naturally sleeping together was the obvious solution. There didn’t need to be anything sexual or romantic about it, just two guys sleeping in the same bed. But after waking up in each other’s arms every morning, they just started falling asleep cuddling together too.

On a positive note, Dipper no longer had sexual dreams about Bill. On the other hand, he now had frequent sexual and romantic fantasies about Bill during the day, which made living with Bill a little more difficult.

Dipper had hoped, expected even, that everything would turn back to normal within a week, but it didn’t, and he couldn’t understand why. He was so sure his crush would have been gone by now, but it wasn’t. He knew on some level that this wasn’t just a simple crush, but he didn’t know what else to call it. Calling it by something else would only serve to further complicate matters, and everything was messed up enough as it was.

All these thoughts were floating around in Dipper’s head an early morning; the last couple of days, he had begun to awaken early, just so he could enjoy the feeling of Bill’s arms around him. It didn’t help him figure out his feelings, but it still made him happy.

“♫Mri kaa evih iao♫,” Dipper held back a gasp when he heard Bill beginning to sing. He kept his eyes closed and tried to appear as if he was still asleep. “♫Yist frieest mri kavo?  
Pam asahom isir naneo♫.”

Bill’s voice was very quiet, almost like he didn’t want to wake up Dipper. Dipper could feel Bill holding him closer, as he continued to sing:

“♫Ronan iao hia,  
Mri kavo friee zan a?  
Mri falil ne cusea♫…” Bill paused, like he didn’t know what word to use, before he moved on. “… ♫Vapheela…  
Uru shur nadon mri friee hefyo?  
Uru shur nadon mri friee zan?  
Iao zan xit kavo...  
Hmar mri zess shilfo ronan♫.”

Bill’s voice got quieter, to the point where he was practically whispering the song.

“♫Karqam xesseh iao kavo lizair ne,  
Xesseh iao masom zess kiim pharae,  
Zess iao ardaun kiim pam Musunathae♫…”

While Dipper only knew a couple of words in the song, there was no way he could be wrong about that last one. He opened his eyes and looked at Bill, who seemed shocked at seeing Dipper awake.

“Was that song for me?” Dipper asked.

“… How much did you hear?” Bill replied after a moment of silence.

“All of it, I think,” Dipper shrugged. “Did you write it yourself?”

“Yes,” Bill nodded.

“I liked it,” Dipper smiled at Bill. “What’s it about?”

“… I love you,” Bill responded, giving Dipper a small hug before getting out of bed.

“That didn’t really answer my question…” Dipper grumbled and followed Bill out of bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After breakfast, Bill had gone to his office, saying he had some documents and petitions he needed to look over, but then had the rest of the day free.

Dipper decided to take this free time to seriously think about everything. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, the television on, but volume low. He had three options, each with a best case and worst case scenario.

Option one, he keeps his distance from Bill, hopes the Council allows him to go back to Earth, and never see or think about Bill again. Best case scenario, he forgets about Bill and continues to live a normal life. Worst case scenario, he doesn’t get over Bill, and goes through the rest of his life, wondering what could have been.

Option two, he acts on his recently developed feelings, and officially starts being with Bill, which would somewhere down the road, include children. Best case scenario, he and Bill live a happy life together, along with some kids, which Dipper didn’t mind; he had always wanted to have kids. Worst case scenario, the relationship would end horribly, most likely because Bill would find someone else… someone better…

Option three, he doesn’t do anything and keeps things as they are now. In this option, best case and worst case scenario are the same one; nothing changes.

Dipper knew all this worrying didn’t help. He had thought thinking about it would make it easier, but it just filled him with more anxiety and fear for what was to come.

In the end, he concluded that he needed more information, about what a life as Bill’s mate would be like. He knew what he needed to ask about. Besides, he had been wondering about it…

“My work is done for today,” Bill announced as he walked into the room. He sat down beside Dipper, but kept a reasonable distance between them. “We might get a new staff member soon; a job request was filed today, but for some reason, it was marked urgently.”

“Is that weird?” Dipper asked.

“A job request is not an urgent matter,” Bill explained. “It is highly unusual for one to be marked as such. But still, I have arranged for a job meeting in a few weeks. Perhaps then I will figure out why it was marked as such.”

“Mhmm…” Dipper hummed, trying to think of a way to bring the topic up. “Uh, Bill…? I’ve been wondering about… your people’s… mating habits…”

“You have?” Bill sounded surprised.

“You know, just… human curiosity,” Dipper tried to seem nonchalant. “S-so, if you could just… explain the process…”

“Well, in the case of Crauhlohs, an event occurs once every year, where all our three moons are full in one zone of our planet. The light from our three moons causes the Egg-layers to produce a number of eggs. Egg-carriers have an orifice that is directly connected to their stomach, which is where the eggs are laid. A male Egg-layer will place his sexual organ inside the orifice, while female Egg-layers draw use of a special tool to achieve the same result. The eggs are laid in the Egg-carrier’s stomach, where they will grow for about three months; most importantly grow a hard shell to protect them from the outside world, after which the Egg-carrier gets them out.”

“Okay, so I have a couple of questions,” Dipper interjected, having been too embarrassed to say anything until then. “First of all, I assume the eggs come back out through the hole connected to the stomach?”

“That is correct, for some,” Bill nodded. “But for others, there have been many complications involving that. In response, an operational procedure was invented, which removes the eggs directly from the stomach, which in turn puts less stress on the Egg-carrier’s body.”

“Yeah, but about that hole; I don’t have one,” Dipper responded.

“Of course you do,” Bill insisted. “You use it all the time.”

“You mean…” Dipper pointed to his mouth and Bill nodded. “So your species literally reproduce through blow jobs?”

“Actually, no blowing is needed, but some sucking is,” Bill explained, completely unaware of how he sounded. “And no, Crauhlohs use a different hole.”

“Wait, but Egg-layers have mouths too,” Dipper pointed out. “Why do you need Egg-carriers? Can’t you just use each other?”

“Unfortunately not,” Bill frowned. “While Egg-carriers’ gastric acid is almost identical to your species’, Egg-layers are a different story; our gastric acid is so strong, that it can eat away bones in seconds. If we tried to lay eggs in our stomachs, the eggs would be dissolved.”

“How about artificial incubating?” Dipper suggested. “Can’t you replicate the conditions of an Egg-carriers stomach?”

“No,” Bill shook his head. “Our scientists tried, but all the eggs involved came out unfertilized. The eggs draw important genetic material when they are in the stomach, something we cannot replicate.”

“I see,” Dipper frowned sadly.

“You must understand, we did explore all options before we started the mating program,” Bill explained.

“… I know I should help your people,” Dipper sighed. “But all this is so… alien.”

“No, you should not be forced into parenthood,” Bill responded resolutely. “Parenthood is important to my people, but most important of all, it is a choice and a want.”

“Well, it’s not I’ve never thought about having kids,” Dipper mumbled. “It’s just…”

“You do not want them with me,” Bill interrupted, a sad but resigned expression on his face.

“No, that’s not it!” Dipper insisted. “I just… I don’t know… Everything’s so complicated.” Dipper placed his head in his hands, and let out a small sound of despair.

“What parts do you find complicating?” Bill asked. “Perhaps I can help?”

“It’s just… the whole situation, and feelings in general,” Dipper let out a humorless laugh and flopped into the couch. The only sound that filled the room was the sounds from the television.

“… This morning,” Bill began to speak. “You asked what my song was about? It was essentially about you, about us… I do not know what your feelings towards me are, and I do not know what I can do to make you happy…”

“I…” Dipper paused. “I’ve been wondering about that myself…”

“I need to know, if you could ever imagine being with me, loving me…”

“… Yes,” Dipper responded, his voice so quiet that he could barely hear himself. “I… I like spending time with you, Bill. You’re very attractive… And I do have… some romantic feelings for you, but… I don’t know if I love you; I’ve never been in love before…”

Dipper trailed off as Bill closer to him. Bill placed two fingers on Dipper’s lower lips, stroking it gently. Dipper’s mouth was slightly agape, breath hitching in surprise.

“I have never been in love before either,” Bill whispered and leaned closer. “But when I look in your eyes, I see the universe… If I am not in love with you yet, I am sure I will fall for you somewhere down the road.”

“What if you don’t?” Dipper asked, inching away from Bill. “Are you willing to take that chance? To be stuck with me for the rest of your life?”

“I cannot imagine anything better,” Bill smiled and moved closer to Dipper. “I want to kiss you… But only if it is okay with you…”

Dipper looked at Bill, gazed into his eyes; they were beautiful, sparkling like gemstones. He hadn’t even realized he was moving closer to Bill, until he could feel Bill’s breath.

Suddenly, Bill turned away and focused his attention on the television, a shocked expression on his face, and turned the volume up.

The image on the television showed the outside of Bill’s uncle’s mansion. Multiple vehicles were parked in front of it, while a female voice, presumably a reporter, was speaking over the footage.

“Xit uru semthale da aziqebi,” the voice said. “Orhi omursukom mirmi, Xerex Qlostilf Zreipaelphi xlev folirent… cheio,” there was a small pause between the last words, as if the reporter had a hard time saying it. “Aosamasorits huzu orhi sonsarry emthath lorotiri, hmar aeevl ayasuruka sanan otha kiim shilisoro.”

The footage on the screen cut to Bill’s cousin, Tlummus, smiling and waving at a cheering crowd, his mate, Nahenna, on his arm, looking more forlorn.

“Evih neyasom el rem Kothrar cheio,” the reporter continued. “Xexuhrzea Tlummus Zreipaelphi zess orhi mirmi suom marex amo kurra Xerex, ish rem Nathae, Xexahrzea Nahenna Hafronnee, suom marex Xairix.”

Bill turned off the television and stared blankly into the air.

“What was it?” Dipper asked, placing a comforting hand on Bill’s shoulder.

“My uncle… is dead,” Bill whispered. “Murdered by the sound of it…”

“I’m… I’m so sorry, Bill,” Dipper responded, not knowing what else to say.

“I hated him, but… I did not want him to die,” Bill shook his head slightly. “And now… Now Tlummus will be the new Xerex… I shudder to think what he might do… At least his Kothrar had some tact, but he… Well, you witnessed his temperament first hand.”

“I… don’t know if I should bring this up, but…” Dipper paused before he decided to continue. “Tlummus seemed pretty… happy in the footage they showed… Do you think he might…?”

“I… I do not wish to think my cousin would do something like that,” Bill responded. “I always thought he and my uncle were close, but… it is not out of the realm of possibility…”

Dipper could see that Bill was visibly shaken by this, but he didn’t know what to do; he had no experience when it came to things like this. In the end, Dipper used his hand to gently turn Bill’s face towards him, and placed his forehead against Bill’s.

“Safas,” Bill whispered and moved his head away from Dipper. “Thank you, Pine Tree… I love you.”

“Bill, you always say you love me in English,” Dipper noted. “How come you never say it in your language?”

“Because I want you to understand it when I say it,” Bill explained.

“Then tell me how to say it in your language.”

“’Mri lizair iao’,” Bill said, his voice low.

“Me-ree lee-sair ee-ao,” Dipper repeated, cringing at his pronunciation. “Urgh, why can’t I say it right?”

“Try again,” Bill chuckled. “’Mri lizair iao’.”

“Mri… lizair… ee-ao- URGH!!” Dipper let out a frustrated groan.

“You were almost there,” Bill smiled. “But truly, I do not care about your pronunciation; I find it… cute.”

“I’m not cute,” Dipper grumbled. “… Mri lizair iao, Bill…”

“What was that last part?” Bill asked, having apparently not heard Dipper.

“Nothing; I just said I wasn’t cute,” Dipper lied. “A-anyway, do you have the equipment for the brewing ready? I thought we could begin today.”

“Yes,” Bill nodded, looking at Dipper somewhat suspiciously. “But you are going to have to walk me through the process.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Dipper assured him. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time night came, Dipper was sitting on the bed, waiting for Bill to get there; some more had popped up, apparently related to his uncle’s death, and Bill wanted to take care of it as soon as possible.

Dipper began removing his clothes, until he was wearing nothing, and lied down on the bed. The door opened and Bill stepped in.

“That should cover i-“ Bill stopped midsentence when he saw Dipper, before he immediately shut his eyes. “Hia heffaor xit hiri yigi erilonet?!”

“Bill…” Dipper swallowed nervously, but his tone was serious. “I want you.”

“Pine Tree, is something wrong?” Bill asked, still keeping his eyes shut.

Dipper got up from the bed and walked over to Bill. He grabbed Bill by the shoulders and placed a firm kiss on his lips, before Bill pushed him away.

“What is going on?!” Bill exclaimed, still refusing to open his eyes.

“I thought you wanted this,” Dipper replied. “Don’t you want… me?”

“Yes, I do, but why are you acting this way?” Bill asked, sounding very concerned.

“I’m taking a chance,” Dipper responded. “You’re so sure we’ll be the perfect the couple? Fine. I’m going along with it.”

“That is not what I want!” Bill said in a distressed tone. “I want you to be happy.”

“But I don’t know what will make me happy!” Dipper shouted. “But I like you, you love me, and we need to do something about this! Otherwise, we won’t be going anywhere,” Dipper sighed at the last part.

“That does not mean we need to rush things,” Bill responded, his tone having turned calmer.

“You know, you can open your eyes, Bill,” Dipper said. “I don’t mind you seeing me like this.”

Bill opened his eyes, and the two men went over to the bed. They sat in silence for a while, until Dipper spoke up.

“I’m scared, Bill,” Dipper sighed. “I’m scared of all the possibilities and variables concerning our relationship… But I’m also scared of missing out on them… I just thought maybe if I jumped into it, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

“I understand,” Bill nodded. “I am honestly frightened too. Frightened and excited, all at the same time. I am… content with our current relationship. I am also hesitant to move forward with it, but I also cannot wait to do so. It is a paradox.”

“But so far… things have been good, haven’t they?” Dipper asked, sounding a little more confident.

“They have,” Bill nodded.

“On Earth, we have a saying,” Dipper said with a small smile. “’It is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all’. It’s pretty self-explanatory. Would you say that, even if our relationship ended up being the worst mistake of both of our lives, it would still be better than having never met me at all?”

“Definitely,” Bill replied without hesitation.

“Yeah, I think I agree with you on that. So using that logic, shouldn’t we get the most out of our relationship, even if it ends badly?”

“Perhaps, but I still do not wish to rush you,” Bill said placing a hand on Dipper’s cheek. “When I look at you, it is like gazing into my future… I will always see you as my Musunathae…”

“… I think I might have fallen in love with you,” Dipper whispered. “But I’m not sure and… And I just feel that if I can’t love you back, if I can’t love you as much as you love me, then… I’m just using you… But I want to love you! And I don’t know if I’m just forcing myself to love you, or if I really do love you.”

“Come here,” Bill embraced Dipper and lay the two of them down on the bed. “You are my star, my world… And I will always love you… I want you to know that my love is unconditional. There are no ifs, buts, or maybes to it. I love you. And I am yours, as long as you want me.”

“… Kiss me, Bill,” Dipper whispered, and Bill placed his lips gently on Dipper’s. Dipper moved against them, deepening the kiss. He opened his mouth, and stroked his tongue across Bill’s lips. Bill opened his mouth in response, and Dipper slipped his tongue inside Bill, examining his mouth, caressing his tongue.

Soon, the need for air became too much for Dipper, and he broke the kiss, and took a couple of deep breaths.

“Good night, Pine Tree,” Bill smiled and closed his eyes. “I love you…”

“Good night, Bill,” Dipper replied softly. “Mri lizair iao…”

 

Translations:

Mri kaa evih iao = I look at you

Yist frieest mri kavo? = How could I not?

Pam asahom isir naneo = My own beautiful treasure

Ronan iao hia = Do you know why

Mri kavo friee zan a? = I cannot say no?

Mri falil ne cusea… Vapheela… = I feel so... Vulnerable

Uru shur nadon mri friee hefyo? = Is there anything I can do?

Uru shur nadon mri friee zan? = Is there anything I can say?

Iao zan xit kavo… = You will not say it / You will not tell me…

Hmar mri zess shilfo ronan = But I would like to know

Karqam xesseh iao kavo lizair ne = Even if you do not love me

Xesseh iao masom zess kiim pharae = If you would rather be free / If you would rather do without

Zess iao ardaun kiim pam Musunathae… = You will always be my Soul mate

 

Xit uru semthale da aziqebi = It truly is a tragedy

Orhi omursukom mirmi, Xerex Qlostilf Zreipaelphi xlev folirent… cheio = Yesterday evening, Xerex Qlostilf Zreipaelphi was found… dead

Aosamasorits huzu orhi sonsarry emthath lorotiri, hmar aeevl ayasuruka sanan otha kiim shilisoro = Authorities currently have no clues, but advices everyone to be careful

Evih neyasom el rem Kothrar cheio = Because of his father's death

Xexuhrzea Tlummus Zreipaelphi zess orhi mirmi suom marex amo kurra Xerex, ish rem Nathae, Xexahrzea Nahenna Hafronnee, suom marex Xairix = Xexuhrzea Tlummus Zreipaelphi will tonight be crowned our new Xerex, and his Mate, Xexahrzea Nahenna Hafronnee, will be crowned Xairix

Safas = Thank you

Mri lizair iao = I love you

 

Hia heffaor xit hiri yigi erilonet?! = Why does this keep happening?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, one overly fluffy and somewhat emotional chapter done! Don't worry, the next chapter will be more lighthearted... I think. It will involve alcohol anyway, so you know someone's bound to get drunkX3
> 
> Oh, and next chapter will be from Bill's POV and he'll be having a conversation with another Crauhloh. I don't know if I should write their conversation in English, since it's from Bill's POV, or I should still write it in Auldrinish
> 
> Please leave a comment if you want to:3


	6. Through Another's Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As their relationship developes, we finally see get to see things from Bill's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally another chapter:3 And yay, we get to see Bill's POV!
> 
> Also, thanks to a helpful comment who pointed out a line of html coding which can be used for translation, if you simply hover over something that's italics, you will get the translation!
> 
> Sorry if there are any mistakes though, since this is my first time trying out html coding or just coding in general, and I did run into some problems that forced me to rewrite all the coding^^;

Bill was surprised at the progress that had been made in only a few weeks. Not necessarily in courting his mate, but more in how his Pine Tree was blossoming with his care and love. Dipper had started out so resistant and stand-offish to him, and then, just as Bill thought things were going well, the museum trip had seemingly destroyed any progress made. But said destruction later revealed a part of Dipper that had been hidden away, something Dipper had been convinced was too broken to fix; Bill knew better.

Dipper was beginning to embrace Bill’s world in a way he hadn’t before, and it was filling Bill with hope that perhaps someday, his Pine Tree would see him as his _ Musunathae _too, although Bill also realized that it would take time.

While the majority of Bill was content waiting for Dipper to figure out his feelings, a small part of Bill was waiting eagerly and impatiently to take his Pine Tree to bed for the first time. Of course, Bill knew that also would be a while, and that Dipper would most likely not be ready by the _Lyai Sonome_.

Bill was sitting in his office, sorting through the different messages and documents. One of them was about the preparations for his city’s _Lyai Sonome Ronkath_ , which was being overseen by Basqoel Nafihma Fauhhuhst. He looked over the document, finding everything in order, noted they had gone slightly above budget, but not enough to worry about it. He gave it a stamp of approval and sent it off.

He stopped between documents and thought about the _Lyai Sonome Ronkath_ … Would Dipper be interested in going? Perhaps the human would feel that Bill was pressuring him. On the other, it was a fun event that Dipper might enjoy. Bill would just have to ask.

The last document was a reminder that his meeting with Phofia Hafronnee was tomorrow. Bill had already made the proper preparations; including doing some background checks on his new possible employee. She had been working as a maid for his uncle for almost a decade, and was sisters with his cousin’s mate, Nahenna Hafronnee. He would have to ask her why she quit her job so suddenly.

It was past dinner when Bill finished, and he left his office to find his Pine Tree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few minutes of searching, Bill found Dipper in their shared bedroom, lying on the bed and reading.

“My work is finished for the day,” Bill announced as he stepped inside.

“Bill!” Dipper looked up, an excited look on his face. “ _Mri uru a-neej sanan kaa iao_.”

“Your pronunciation is getting better,” Bill commended the human. “Although for this sentence, ‘cour’ is the proper verb, not ‘sanan’.”

“Well, at least I’m improving,” Dipper shrugged. “Anyway, you know what day it is?”

“I am not aware of any particular event occurring today,” Bill replied in a teasing tone.

Dipper rolled his eyes, though a smile was still present on his face.

“Our alcohol is ready!” Dipper clarified. “Let’s pour a bottle and have taste.”

“I still have my concerns about this,” Bill responded.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dipper assured. “The key to safe alcohol consumption is to know your limit. But since you’ve never tried it before, just take small sips with breaks in between, and once you start feeling differently, stop.”

“Very well,” Bill sighed. “Let us see then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The alcoholic beverage had been made with saccarinus; small red fruits known for their sweet taste.

Dipper carefully siphoned the red liquid from the airtight container and into a glass bottle. Afterwards, they brought the bottle into the kitchen, where Dipper poured two glasses.

“Toast!” Dipper said happily, taking one of the glasses.

“No, it is not,” Bill shook his head in confusion.

“No, that’s something people sometimes when they drink things,” Dipper explained. “It’s sort of a congratulatory gesture, I suppose.”

“Oh,” Bill picked up his own glass. “Toast, then,” he shrugged and took a very small sip. The liquid was sweet, but it had a very distinct, somewhat bitter taste to it.

“It’s sweet,” Dipper noted, having taken his first swig.

“I find the taste somewhat… bitter,” Bill wrinkled his nose.

“That’s probably the alcohol you’re tasting,” Dipper explained and took another swig of his glass, emptying it. “It’s an acquired taste, I guess.”

Bill took another small sip, but didn’t find the taste any better. “I think it will be a while before I begin to like this,” Bill sighed and placed the glass down on the table. It was picked up by Dipper who drank the whole glass in one go.

“That’s too bad,” Dipper giggled. “I think this could’ve gotten really popular on Earth…”

Dipper began humming and started absentmindedly playing with the glass.

“Be careful not to break it,” Bill warned him.

“Dooon’t worryyy,” Dipper responded, slurring his words somewhat.

“Are you… feeling alright?” Bill asked, his tone worried.

“’M fiiiiine…” Dipper giggled and turned to Bill, latching his arms around Bill’s neck. “H-hey, Bill… L-let’s… L-let’s j-just… W-weeee can… totally… fuck…” Dipper whispered the last word, as if he wasn’t meant to say it.

“I… I am not sure what you are talking about,” Bill frowned. “Your face is looking very… red. And you sound… off.”

“N-no, n-no, s-see,” Dipper suddenly spoke very fast, before he slumped his head onto Bill’s shoulder. “W-we… W-we sssssshould… fuck… Because… ‘ve been jerking offffff… thinkin’ of yoooouuuu… ‘Cause you’re sooooo… hot…”

“’Hot’?” Bill asked. “Are you feeling warm?” Bill placed a hand on Dipper’s forehead, but while the human felt warm, Bill couldn’t tell if it was regular human warm or human fever warm. Still, Dipper sounded like he might be in delirium. “Pine Tree, I am taking you to bed now.”

“Yyyeeeeessss,” Dipper cheered happily in response.

Bill picked up the human with ease, and carried him to their bedroom, where he placed Dipper on the bed, only for Dipper to drag him on top of the human.

“J-just… j-just do m-me,” Dipper giggled and sprawled out on the bed, beneath Bill.

“No, Pine Tree, I am not going to bed as well,” Bill sighed and got up from the bed. “You need rest. If you are still feeling unwell tomorrow, I will call the doctor.”

“Nnnooooo…” Dipper whined in protest. “’M ffffiiiiine…”

“You are most certainly not fine,” Bill insisted. When Dipper tried to get out of bed, Bill held him back. “Pine Tree, I fear you have become delirious. You need to stay to stay in bed.”

“’M nnnnnot stayin’… iffff y-you don’ ssssstay with mmmme…” Dipper mumbled, grabbing Bill and holding on to him. “C-come oooooon, Bill… D-don’cha want meeee?”

Bill could almost feel his blood rushing to his nether parts. Why did his Pine Tree tempt him so?!

“It is not a matter of want,” Bill asserted. “You are clearly not in your right mind. Besides, we have yet to discuss... intercourse.”

Dipper got a very dissatisfied look on his face and held Bill tighter.

“Can you please let me go, Pine Tree?” Bill asked.

“No,” Dipper pouted angrily.

“But… I need to get something…” Bill responded carefully.

“O-oh?” Dipper looked at Bill with curious eyes. “What?”

“You will see once I get it,” Bill answered cryptically. “It is in the bathroom, so…”

Surprisingly, Dipper let go of Bill, a knowing look in his eyes, but Bill doubted that Dipper knew what he was getting.

After rummaging through the bathroom for a while, Bill found what he was looking for; a small container with blue powder. He sprinkled a small amount into his hand before returning to the bedroom, where Dipper was waiting, sprawled out on the bed.

“Sooooo…” Dipper smirked. “W-what did’cha geeeeet…?”

“Close your eyes and open your mouth,” Bill said. Dipper complied, even sticking his tongue out. Bill proceeded to throw the blue powder into the human’s mouth.

Dipper coughed a little, a look of surprise and shock on his face, followed shortly by him collapsing in bed, completely unconscious.

“ _Hontbya ne_ , Pine Tree,” Bill sighed, shaking his head. He picked up the human’s unconscious body and tried his best to arrange him comfortably. Afterwards, he fetched a small bag filled with ice and placed it on Dipper’s forehead, hoping it would help if the human did have a fever.

After that, Bill didn’t know what else to do. He lied down on the other side of the bed, staring at his Pine Tree. Bill knew he should go to sleep, but he was unable to; what if Dipper woke up and needed him?

As such, Bill stayed awake for hours into the night, hoping whatever had afflicted Dipper wasn’t serious. However, even with fear invading his mind, exhausting still won out in the end, and Bill fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill jolted awake in the morning, surprised that he had fallen asleep. The first thing he saw was that Dipper had curled into a ball under the blankets.

“Pine Tree?” Bill asked, gently shaking him.

“Urgh…” Dipper groaned from under the blankets.

“Are you feeling better?” Bill continued asking.

“I’m feeling like shit…” Dipper mumbled. “I’ll… I’ll explain later, but for now… do you have any pain killers?”

“I… am not sure,” Bill responded.

“Some kind of medicine that reduces pain? Like headaches?” Dipper elaborated.

“I do have something like that,” Bill nodded and got out of the bed.

“I also need something to drink,” Dipper added.

“I shall return in a bit,” Bill replied and left the room. He returned a few moments later, carrying a glass of cold water and a blue, somewhat spiky leaf. He placed both items on the bedside table and shook Dipper again. “I’m back.”

“Thank you,” Dipper groaned and finally got out from under the blankets; he looked very pale and very sick, which worried Bill.

“Are you alright, Pine Tree?” Bill asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Dipper said and drank the entire glass in one swig. “The pain killers?”

“Here,” Bill handed him the leaf. “You put it in your mouth, and let the enzymes in your mouth break it down, which releases the anesthesia.”

“I’ll… probably need a couple more hours to recover,” Dipper sighed.

“I understand,” Bill nodded. “I hope you will get better soon.”

“Thanks,” Dipper smiled before placing the leaf inside his mouth, and lying back down.

Bill left the room, closing the door behind him. It seemed like his Pine Tree was getting better, but he would have to check on him in a couple of hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill was sitting in his office, waiting for his appointment with Phofia Hafronnee. She arrived a couple of minutes late, but not enough for it to reflect poorly on her. She entered Bill’s office, having been escorted by one of Bill’s employees, who left the two of them alone.

“Phofia Hafronnee,” Bill greeted her.

“Siheas Brhithel Chiypherqi,” Phofia greeted back with a small smile.

“ _Sys dann_ ,” Bill nodded to the chair in front of his desk. Phofia sat down, looking nervous and slightly uncomfortable. She spotted the painting that Dipper had made, hanging on the wall.

“ _Uru iaiz hirili kit orhi faremme?_ ” she asked, pointing to the picture.

“ _A, xit sarzur murut zem chagish_ ,” Bill explained. “ _Murut el pam nathae, Dipper_.”

Phofia made a small, neutral sound, and turned back to Bill.

“ _Jirik cusea_ ,” Bill nodded, signaling that they were going back on topic. “ _Phofia, hia zant iao iaiz nasir aosie?_ ”

“ _Mri_ …” she paused for a moment, looking rather distraught. “ _Mri folirent Xerex Qlostilf’s gortsqua_ …”

“ _Mri friee kaa yist xit zesst kaxig iao_ ,” Bill nodded in sympathy.

“ _Xit uru kavo anka xit_ ,” Phofia shook her head. “… _Mri zess kavo kjoro asrot Tlummus_ … _Mri_ … _ Mri huzu kaat ern oddoko re huzu evih pam Suthrar_…”

“Nahenna?” Bill asked.

“ _Ze uru_ … _kuromdrath_ …” Phofia frowned. “ _Ish_ … _ Ronan iao otha Xerex Qlostilf vafsanot otha kiim zem sanan ern lefare Nathme Vrusrok?_”

“ _Re zesst huzu da nathae?_ ” Bill exclaimed, his tone and expression surprised.

“ _Da shur kavo sarzur Crauhloh_ ,” Phofia nodded and got a sadden look on her face. “ _Mri ronan re kavo ardaun raubca xit mannemte kokrimol_ … _hmar…_ ”

“ _Mri emkursum_ ,” Bill nodded in understanding, still shocked at this new information.

The rest of the meeting played out as any job interview, but even after it was over, and Phofia had gotten the job, the words she had spoken still lingered in the back of Bill’s head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Phofia had left, Bill was handed an urgent letter from his cousin. Bill shuddered to think what his cousin could possibly want, and after reading the letter, his mood didn’t improve.

He returned to his and Dipper’s room, to see if his Pine Tree was faring any better. When he entered the room, he saw that Dipper was sitting in bed, drinking another glass of water.

“Are you feeling better?” Bill asked, his tone still worried.

“Yeah, I just needed to get over my hangover,” Dipper nodded, after finishing his glass and setting it down. “That leaf is way more effective than panodil.”

“’Hangover’?” Bill frowned; his Pine Tree had a tendency to mention phrases he didn’t recognize.

“Okay, so remember how I told you about humans getting drunk?” Dipper began. “That’s what happened to me last night. Apparently that saccarinus fruit makes some strong alcohol. Anyway,” Dipper’s cheeks began to flush. “I got drunk… A-and usually, I’m a pretty… horny drunk, so… that’s why I acted the way I did…”

“I see,” Bill nodded in understanding. “I was worried for you; I thought you were sick, that you were poisoned.”

“Mhmm,” Dipper hummed awkwardly. “I’m sorry I worried you, but hey! At least I’m up and about now.”

“Which may not be as good as you expected,” Bill sighed. “I received a message from Tlummus; he wishes to know why we have yet to announce our allegiance to him.”

“Is that a thing your people do when a new ruler steps in?” Dipper asked.

“Under normal circumstances, no,” Bill shook his head. “It is mostly done in cases where the successor was not the child of the previous ruler, which usually happens if the previous Xerex had no offspring. For Tlummus to do this, it is either a show of force; a way to demand people’s support, instead of earning it… Or he believes he has enemies in the court, and wishes to weed them out.”

“So what do we do?” Dipper inquired.

“We will have to go to his home tonight,” Bill sighed. “And promise him our loyalty.”

“Damnit,” Dipper groaned.

“I know my cousin is not the most… pleasant person, new information notwithstanding,” Bill sneered in disgust at the thought of having to spend more time with Tlummus.

“You got new info on Tlummus?”

“Yes. As you may recall, I was to have a meeting with a potential new employee today, and she happens to have previously worked for my uncle, and is even sister to my cousin’s _ nathae _.”

“And she had something to tell you?”

“Apparently, my uncle was planning on finding a new _ nathae _… through the Mating Program.”

“You mean, the people who brought me here?”

“Yes,” Bill nodded. “It seems that my uncle may have changed his stance on the Mating Program, and was going to announce as much…”

“And then he turns up dead,” Dipper finished.

“Other than that, it seems like Tlummus has had an adverse effect on his _ nathae _,” Bill continued explaining.

“What do you mean?”

“She did not go into details, so we can only speculate,” Bill responded.

“Urgh, well I know your cousin is having an adverse effect on me,” Dipper groaned. “So it doesn’t really surprise me.”

“I knew you would not react positively to seeing my cousin again,” Bill replied, sympathizing with Dipper. “Considering your previous ‘illness’, I may be able to get you out of it-“

“Screw that!” Dipper exclaimed. “I’m not letting you go there alone so your cousin can talk shit about you! I just wished my Auldrinish was a little better by the time I saw him again; I have a few things I’d like to tell him to his face.”

“If nothing else, I can always translate for you,” Bill smiled fondly at his Pine Tree. Perhaps this meeting wouldn’t turn out as bad as the last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They arrived at Tlummus’ home in the early evening; Bill was still feeling apprehensive about it, but this time… this time his Pine Tree would be with him every step of the way.

Bill and Dipper were escorted by a servant into the throne room, where Tlummus was sitting, awaiting them, but oddly enough, Nahenna was not sitting on the throne beside him.

“ _Nlerooereqz, zhure bajona_ ,” Bill greeted his cousin, bowing to him.

“ _Nleroo-e-reks, ze-hure bajona_ ,” Dipper bowed as well.

“ _Nlerooereqz_ ,” Tlummus responded, a smug smile on his face. “ _ Moust ruhzea el omie otha kiva evih cusea chuqour rlamsor_.”

“ _Iao zesst ronan amo liohis_ ,” Bill said matter-of-factly. “ _Ern huzu iao_.”

“ _Iao friee zoga emkursum_ ,” Tlummus went on to say. “ _Mri poufar ronan si pam amaki uru_.”

” _Uru xit qerdares ayasurmes?_ ” Bill asked.

“ _A_ ,” Tlummus shook his head. “ _Xit uru evih erilone iao ghuziro sran evih xit hiri_.”

“ _Laist?_ ” Bill frowned.

“ _Iaiz fafils nathae_ ,” Tlummus pointed to Dipper, and Bill placed a defensive hand on his Pine Tree’s shoulder.

“ _Laist zant iao?_ ” Bill was already seething with rage.

“ _Iao hoast ne_ ,” Tlummus smirked.

“What did he say?” Dipper asked.

“There is not a proper translation for it,” Bill mumbled to Dipper. “But he basically called our relationship untrue.”

“Can he even say that?” Dipper inquired. “I mean, Egg-carriers are practically sacred to your people, right?”

“ _Laist sicro kezir imof?_ ” Tlummus seemed slightly miffed about being ignored.

“ _Pam nathae zess ronan yist iao friee sicro sabived sanan da Ishilaheer_ ,” Bill replied, still keeping his hand on Dipper’s shoulder.

“ _Dokaito re kavo uru da Ishilaheer_ ,” Tlummus glared angrily. “ _Ish re zess elirnol suom da Ishilaheer_. _Stoixato xoms res uru ern semth dannfilir orhi amo labrond_.”

“I can… guess what he just said,” Dipper mumbled, looking off to the side.

“None of it is true,” Bill assured him, holding him closer.

“Bill, do you mind translating for me?” Dipper asked him. “I have a couple of things I want to tell your cousin.”

“Of course, Pine tree,” Bill nodded.

Dipper stared intently at Tlummus, and then he began to speak.

“Listen, I may have to promise you my loyalty,” Dipper started. “But that does not mean I have to like or even respect you.”

“ _Re zan, otha sigoir re uru liohis sanan iao, huzu iao kavo rem solpom_ ,” Bill translated.

“You would rather let your entire race die out, instead of think, that maybe, just maybe, the Mating Program is actually a good thing?”

“ _Re paosdo, imof iao masom zess kaa aosie cheio aon, elir otha udolko Nathme Vrusrok_.”

Tlummus was quiet, his face frozen in shock.

“You can do whatever you want,” Dipper continued. “But you know what? Whether you like it or not, I am capable of carrying eggs.”

“ _Re zan, re uru orhi xyamir sanan otha laheer ishinir_ ,” Bill translated, smiling. He was starting to feel confident, but most of all happy, at having finally silenced his cousin. This time, he, or rather Dipper, would get the last word.

“And you know what else?” Dipper kept going, now smiling confidently too. “Me and Bill are gonna have children, and they’re gonna be the cutest things you’ve ever seen; and you can’t stop that!”

“…” Bill paused for a moment and looked confused at Dipper. Had his Pine Tree really just said that? They still had yet to discuss the subject of children thoroughly, but here Dipper was, saying with confidence that they were having children, and judging from his tone, soon at that.

“Bill? Translate,” Dipper urged Bill, who snapped out of his thoughts and continued translating.

“ _Re zan_ … _Otha re ish mri zess huzu ishilesh_ ,” Bill translated, hesitantly at first, as if saying it out loud would make Dipper retract his statement, but then regained his confidence. “ _Ish shur uru emthath iao friee hefyo cour otha zrov xit_.”

“… _Coursis_ ,” Tlummus said, his tone low and threatening.

Bill bowed, followed by Dipper, and the two left the mansion, returning to Bill’s vehicle.

“I… understand certain things were said in the heat of the moment,” Bill mumbled once they sat down in the vehicle.

“What?” Dipper sounded confused.

“Us having children,” Bill clarified.

“I meant that,” Dipper replied, placing a hand on Bill’s arm. “I’ve… been thinking about it, a lot, and this isn’t how I wanted to say it. I wanted to do something special for you, to impress you; that’s why I’ve been studying Auldrinish so much recently…”

“You just gave a most impressive speech to my cousin,” Bill chuckled. “That was impressive enough…” his tone turned serious. “But are you certain? It is a big step and-“

“Bill,” Dipper interrupted him, placing a finger on his lip to silence him. “Mri lizair iao…”

Bill was quiet for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

“What about your home planet?” Bill asked. “I… I am still waiting for an answer from the Council.”

“… We’ll…” Dipper paused and thought for a moment. “We’ll deal with that as it comes. I mean, you already said there’s a big chance the Council won’t approve, so…” Dipper shrugged. “You told me before, that if you were wrong about me being your soul mate, and you met your real one, you would still stay with me, because I’m your current reality, right? Well, you’re my current reality too, Bill; I’m staying with you.”

Bill kissed him; he didn’t know what else to do, and it just felt right. Dipper threw his arms around Bill, deepening the kiss as he did so. Bill felt Dipper open his mouth, his tongue prodding Bill’s lips, silently asking him to open. Bill complied, his own tongue meeting Dipper’s, stroking and tasting each other.

“Bill,” Dipper gasped, breaking the kiss. “Do Crauhlohs have sex outside of mating season?”

“S-some do,” Bill stuttered, his face flustered. “W-why are you asking?”

“Well, it’s just, if we’re officially a couple now, shouldn’t we get to know each other’s body?”

“Y-you want us t-to…?” Bill swallowed audibly. “T-tonight?”

“Maybe not tonight, but-” Dipper mumbled.

“No!” Bill interrupted. “I mean, I want to, but… I… I have never… before…”

“You’re a virgin?” Dipper asked, sounding surprised.

“Most of my people do not have the opportunity to enter sexual relationships,” Bill explained. “I… I fear I will not pleasure you as you are used to…”

“Hey, that doesn’t matter,” Dipper placed a hand on Bill’s face. “A lot of this is new to me too. At least I can help you with this.”

“You are right, of course,” Bill nodded. “Tonight, then. Once we get home…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything seemed to be moving so much faster now; before Bill knew it, he and Dipper were back home and in their bedroom. Dipper sat down on the bed, looking calmly at Bill, not showing any signs of discomfort or anxiety.

“So, first things first,” Dipper began. “Do Crauhlohs have STDs?”

“I do not know what that is,” Bill shook his head.

“Sexual transmittable diseases,” Dipper explained. “Illnesses that are transmitting through blood and sexual acts.”

“I… do not believe we have anything like that,” Bill said carefully.

“Well, that probably wouldn’t be a problem anyway, since you’re a virgin. And I always use condom, so I’m clean,” Dipper mumbled to himself. “Alright, but something we definitely need is lube.”

“’Lube’?” Bill frowned at the word.

“Some kind of lubrication to make penetration easier,” Dipper clarified. “Without it, sex is gonna hurt a lot.”

“Hmm, I believe I have something we can use,” Bill walked into the bathroom, and came back out carrying a bottle of hand lotion. “It is for dry skin and scales, but I think it can be used.”

“Looks fine,” Dipper lied down on the bed. “Now comes foreplay.”

“W-what am I supposed to do?” Bill asked.

“For now, just remove my clothes and explore my body.”

Bill did as he was told; he sat down on the bed, placing his legs on either side of Dipper, and removed his Pine Tree’s shirt, revealing the warm flesh beneath. Bill began stroking the stomach, marveling at how soft the human’s skin was. Aside from the two small nubs that Dipper had referred to as “nipples”, there was something else which drew Bill’s eye, and he began to examine.

“What are you doing?” Dipper asked curiously.

“Why is there a hole here?” Bill pondered, sticking his finger into the small hole.

“That’s just a belly button,” Dipper explained. “When mammals are in their embryonic state, we have tube connected from the belly to our mother, and it’s through that tube we eat.”

“I see,” Bill decided to pay the belly button no further mind, and move on to something he knew would get a reaction.

He was surprised at how soft the nipples were, even softer than the rest of Pine Tree’s skin, but as he were stroking and generally playing with them, they began to harden.

“B-Bill,” Dipper gasped. Bill decided he liked that reaction, and began to lick and suck one of the nipples, while stroking and pinching the other. “Ngh, Bill…” Dipper moaned, gasping for air.

Bill simply responded with a smirk, moving away from the nipples and further down. He began removing his Pine Tree’s trousers, revealing his reproductive organ, which Bill at first couldn’t make much sense of. He couldn’t find the slit it was supposed to slide out of, and what was that fleshy pouch hanging beneath it?

He started with the pouch, cupping and massaging it.

“B-be careful with that,” Dipper warned him. “Those are very sensitive.”

Bill kept up what he was doing with the pouch, but he also started stroking what he assumed was Dipper’s reproductive organ.

“O-okay, if you keep doing that, I’m gonna come before we get to the penetration,” Dipper groaned and sat up. “Now it’s my turn.”

Bill lied down on the bed, allowing his Pine Tree to undress him.

Dipper began stroking Bill’s chest, feeling the smooth scales that covered it. He also paid close attention to the area where Bill’s flesh and scales met.

“Are you purring?” Dipper asked, ceasing his petting of Bill’s scales.

“I-is that what you call it?” Bill asked. “It just… feels so nice…”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Dipper smiled, but instead of continuing his petting, he moved his attention to Bill’s organ.

Bill’s reproductive organ, a long, thick shaft covered in black scales, was already out of his slit, a sign of arousal.

“What is this?” Dipper questioned, examining the slit around Bill’s organ.

“It is my slit,” Bill simply said. “My organ comes out of it when I am aroused, or when I need to relieve myself.”

“So most of the time, your dick is inside of you?” Dipper asked. “I assume your testicles are too, since I can’t see them anywhere.”

“Y-yes,” Bill moaned as Dipper grabbed his shaft and began stroking it.

“Is it normal for your dick to be so… wet?”

“Yes, it is to help penetration,” Bill nodded.

“Well, I’m still gonna need some prep,” Dipper shrugged and grabbed the bottle of lotion. He squeezed some out and covered his fingers in it.

Dipper then pressed one finger inside of himself, moving it around a little, before he added the next one, and finally a third one. Bill had thought the procedure would be uncomfortable, but it looked as if Dipper was enjoying it, judging from his heavy breathing and flushed cheeks.

“Alright,” Dipper gasped and removed his fingers. “Now, I’m going to slide down on you… If anything feels wrong, or starts to hurt, just tell me to stop, and we’ll stop, okay?”

“Yes,” Bill nodded, feeling both excited and anxious about what was happening.

As Dipper slid down on and Bill entered him, the first thought to Bill’s mind was how tight it was. Hadn’t Dipper stretched it out? How could it still be so tight?

The next thing Bill noticed was how warm it was, and so soft too. It felt like nothing Bill had ever experienced before.

Then Dipper began to move, gyrating his hips as if he was riding some kind of animal, forcing Bill’s organ to move along.

“H-how does it f-feel, Bill?” Dipper asked, placing his hands on Bill’s shoulders for support.

“I-it… S-so warm!” Bill panted.

“Getting c-close?” Dipper leaned forward and kissed Bill on the jaw.

Bill nodded and made a sound of agreement.

“I- I c-ca- ARGH!!!” Bill roared as he finished. It didn’t take long for Dipper to follow, shooting a white liquid on Bill’s chest to signal his own orgasm.

“Urgh,” Dipper moaned and got off of Bill. “I’ll get something to clean us off.”

He went to the bathroom, leaving Bill alone to recover from the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced, his heart pounding and his lungs gasping for air. It didn’t take long for Dipper to return with some cleaning paper, a product Bill’s people mainly used for cleaning running noses and wet eyes.

Dipper began drying off the white liquid that had gotten on Bill’s chest, followed by Bill’s own ejaculation which was in the process of leaking out of Dipper.

“I thought you said you didn’t produce eggs outside of mating season,” Dipper said after he had thrown the cleaning paper out and lay down beside Bill in bed.

“We do not,” Bill responded. “The liquid that… came out… is continually produced however. Its main function is that it helps the eggs reach the stomach, although when entering through the mouth orifice, it may also help swallowing the eggs.”

“Hmm,” Dipper let out a thoughtful hum before throwing the covers over him and Bill. “So how was your first time?”

“It was… _lonohises_ …” Bill said before letting out a tired yawn.

“I’m gonna take that as a good thing,” Dipper chuckled and snuggled closer to Bill.

At this point, Bill was too tired to respond verbally, and simply pulled Dipper even closer. Without another word, the two lovers fell asleep in each other’s arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Translations for people on phone and tablet:

Lyai Sonome = Three Moons

Lyai Sonome Ronkath = Three Moons Festival

Mri uru a-neej sanan kaa iao = I am ha-py for see you

Hontbya ne = Forgive me

 

Sys dann = Sit down

Uru iaiz hirili kit orhi faremme? = Is your camera broken?

A, xit sarzur murut zem chagish = No, it was made with paint

Murut el pam nathae, Dipper = Made by my mate, Dipper

Jirik cusea = Alright then

Phofia, hia zant iao iaiz nasir aosie? = Phofia, why did you quit your job?

Mri folirent Xerex Qlostilf’s gortsqua = I found Xerex Qlostilf's corpse

Mri friee kaa yist xit zesst kaxig iao = I can see how that would shock you

Xit uru kavo anka xit = It is not just that

Mri zess kavo kjoro asrot Tlummus = I refuse to serve Tlummus

Mri huzu kaat ern oddoko re huzu evih pam Suthrar = I have seen the effect he has on my sibling

Ze uru… kuromdrath = She has… changed

Ish… = And…

Ronan iao otha Xerex Qlostilf vafsanot otha kiim zem sanan ern lefare Nathme Vrusrok? = Did you know that Xerex Qlostilf was planning on joining the Mating Program?

Re zesst huzu da nathae? = He wanted a mate?

Da shur kavo sarzur Crauhloh = Someone who is not Crauhloh

Mri ronan re kavo ardaun raubca xit mannemte kokrimol = I know he did not always make the right decisions

Hmar… = But…

Mri emkursum = I understand

 

Nlerooereqz, zhure bajona = Greetings, your majesty

Nleroo-e-reks, ze-hure bajona = Gre-hee-tings, you-r majesty

Moust ruhzea el omie otha kiva evih cusea chuqour rlamsor = How nice of you to arrive on such a short notice

Iao zesst ronan amo liohis = You wished to know our loyalty

Ern huzu iao = You have it

Iao friee zoga emkursum = You can probably understand

Mri poufar ronan si pam amaki uru = I must know who my enemies are

Uru xit qerdares ayasurmes? = Is that really all?

A = No

Xit uru evih erilone iao ghuziro sran evih xit hiri = It is about time you let go of this

Laist? = What?

Iaiz fafils nathae = Your false mate

Laist zant iao? = What did you say?

Iao hoast ne = You heard me

Laist sicro kezir imof? = What are you talking about?

Pam nathae zess ronan yist iao friee sicro sabived sanan da Ishilaheer = My mate wants to know how you can speak that way to an Egg-carrier

Dokaito re kavo uru da Ishilaheer = Because he is not an Egg-carrier

Ish re zess elirnol suom da Ishilaheer = And he will never be an Egg-carrier

Stoixato xoms res uru ern semth dannfilir orhi amo labrond = Creatures like him are the true downfall to our society

Re zan, otha sigoir re uru liohis sanan iao, huzu iao kavo rem solpom = He says, that while he is loyal to you, you do not have his respect

Re paosdo, imof iao masom zess kaa aosie cheio aon, elir otha udolko Nathme Vrusrok = He asks, if you would rather see us die out, than accept the Mating Program

Re zan, re uru orhi xyamir sanan otha laheer ishinir = He says, he is capable of carrying eggs

Re zan… = He says…

Otha re ish mri zess huzu ishilesh = That he and I are going to have offspring

Ish shur uru emthath iao friee hefyo cour otha zrov xit = And there is nothing you can do to stop it

Coursis = Get out

 

Lonohises = Amazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it:3 I'm going to take a break and work the Epilogue to Trustworthy Au (which is close to completion, so I might make my end-of-august deadline), and the next chapter to Masks & Capes, which I actually haven't begun on yet^^;
> 
> Please leave a comment if you like it:3 Also tell me if you prefer this method of translating text to what I did in previous chapters


	7. Making New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper and Bill go through with the mating ritual, ready to start a family together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since the last update; I've been feeling kinda sluggish lately, probably because of the changing seasons (I've heard that can lead to mood problems in some people, but I may be wrong), but at least it's a decently sized chapter:3

Tomorrow night it would happen; tomorrow night all three of Noulara’s moons would be full, at least in this part of the hemisphere, which meant it would be mating time.

Dipper was lounging on a couch in the living room, trying to keep his mind off of it, but finding it difficult; if everything went according to plan, then in two days time, Dipper would be pregnant. He was excited, but also sort of scared.

He had previously asked Bill how many children his species usually had, and had been told that while the record was currently eight eggs lain with seven of them fertile, by far the most common was three eggs lain with two fertile. Bill explained that genes played a large part, and since he was from a clutch of three eggs with only his fertile, that was about the amount they could expect.

Dipper was relieved that the odds of having seven children were small, since he doubted he could take care of that many, even if Bill said if that should happen, his servants would assist in caring for the children.

“Pine Tree?” Dipper put his book down and looked up when he heard Bill’s voice.

“Yes?” he responded.

“You remember that tomorrow is Lyai Sonome?” Bill sat down on the couch, hoisting Dipper’s feet onto his lap to make room.

“Yeah,” Dipper nodded.

“Well, before the sun sets and the moons rise, there traditionally is a… ronkath, a… festival, I believe it’s called? Lyai Sonome Ronkath, it’s a lot of fun.”

“Do you want us to go?” Dipper asked, sensing that Bill was having trouble asking him.

“You must understand,” Bill started. “If we go to this ronkath together, everyone will believe we are a couple.”

“Aren’t we?” Dipper made an awkward shrug. “Look, Bill, I, or rather we, told off your cousin to his face, and said we were gonna have kids. Aside from that, we frequently go out in public together, so I think most people are already under the impression we’re a couple.”

“I… suppose you are correct.”

“Now, tell me more about the festival, the, uh, ron-karth.”

“Lyai Sonome Ronkath started out as a holiday celebrating Lyai Sonome,” Bill explained. “It was at first meant to be a day where lovers participating in Lyai Sonome could spend together. However, as the years past, families began to participate too, using the holiday to celebrate unity, which spread to the rest of my people. Lyai Sonome Ronkath was created as a… amalgamation of different traditions and customs related to the event. Once the breeding program began, Lyai Sonome Ronkath started to adapt new customs from the new members of our society. So, Lyai Sonome Ronkath is a symbol of our society’s unity in that regard.”

“Then let’s go,” Dipper smiled and crawled, from his spot of the couch, over to Bill to hug him. “It sounds like it’ll be fun.”

“I hope so,” Bill said, hugging him back.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The next day, Bill helped Dipper pick something out to wear for the festival. Somehow, Bill managed to convince Dipper to wear a white, sleeveless gown, the edge of which was embedded with blue gemstones, along with a dark-blue see-through shawl, and two silver bracelets.

Bill was wearing a sunglow-yellow robe, with an orange sash tied around his waist.

After getting dressed, the two of them went to the festival. It was close by, so they walked, and they could hear the sound of music, talking, and laughter grow as they got closer.

It was an open spot, something similar to a park, placed near the sea. Booths were put up everywhere, some of them having games where you could win prizes, others were selling food. Dipper spotted a group of children, along with adults he assumed were their parents, gathered around a woman who was reading a book out loud, pausing every once in a while to show the pictures in the book to the kids.

“So, what are we looking at first?” Dipper asked.

“Over there,” Bill pointed towards a dock near the edge of the park, boats lined up, along with a small line of people, as well as two young women who seemed to handle the boats. “You can sail through a river which runs through the city.”

The two of them got in line and waited for their turn. As the line moved, Dipper got a closer look at the boats; they looked close to standard rowing boats, only smaller and slimmer, and the oar looked more like the ones on a kayak and seemed to function like one too.

When it was their turn, one of the women turned to Bill and Dipper.

“Czaoza zaz ras sorbrab ofo hesolo aduhr fuedon,” the woman said, before helping Bill into the boat, followed by Dipper.

“Qara tahrey!” the other woman shouted as Bill started rowing them away.

Dipper took some time to get more comfortable, as he was practically sitting on Bill’s lap, while the boat started sailing through the city.

“I didn’t really understand those women,” Dipper frowned. “I thought I was getting better at your language, but…”

“Oh, that is because you have been studying Auldrinish,” Bill explained. “Those women spoke Cyonian, which is our international language. They might have been from Cyonisia, but it is also possible that they merely speak that, so that most people understand them.”

“I see,” Dipper nodded, leaning backwards to rest the back of his neck on Bill’s shoulder, allowing the human to gaze up into the sky. “Let’s go stargazing sometime.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to get more familiar with your night sky,” Dipper responded. “And I think it’d be fun.”

“Then let’s do it,” Bill replied, smiling even though Dipper couldn’t see it.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Once the ride was the over, Dipper and Bill walked around for a while, looking at all the different booths and people. As they walked, Dipper swore he could hear some music in the distance. The sound of music grew louder until they arrived at the source; a band was playing live music, while a bunch of people were dancing on an area paved with black, sleek stone.

“Would you like to dance?” Bill asked, offering Dipper his hand.

“I’m not good at dancing,” Dipper replied with a shrug, trying not to show that it bothered it. “Don’t know how.”

“There is no how when it comes to dancing,” Bill frowned in confusion. “As long as you are enjoying it.”

“No, I mean I’m really no good at dancing,” Dipper continued.

“Then I can teach you,” Bill insisted, still offering his hand.

Dipper looked from Bill’s hand to his face, gazing at him with such love and devotion. Dipper supposed nothing too terrible would happen were he to dance with Bill. So after a moment of hesitation, Dipper took Bill’s hand and allowed his lover to lead him to the dance floor.

“Just follow my lead,” Bill whispered into Dipper’s ear as he held the human close. The two of them just swayed gently to the music. There were a few times where Dipper almost stepped on Bill’s toes, and once where he actually did, but those incidents couldn’t ruin the otherwise pleasant experience.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After having danced for a while, Bill wanted Dipper to taste some of the food at the festival. They ended up getting something similar to candied apples, only the fruit was slightly sourer, and instead of syrup, the fruit was coated in something that reminded Dipper of frosting.

“Do you like it?” Bill asked, already halfway finished with his.

“Yeah,” Dipper nodded and took another bite. “What were they called again?”

“’Taqqirkupkil’,” Bill responded. “A loose translation would be ‘sugar bombs’.”

Dipper nodded in understanding while continuing to eat his treat. He turned his head when he caught something out of the corner of his eyes; it was a booth, decorated with stuffed toys, a giant spinning wheel in the background.

“This place has games too?” Dipper asked, stopping in front of the booth.

“Yes,” Bill nodded and threw his finished snack in a nearby trashcan. “You can win prizes too.”

“We have something similar on Earth,” Dipper explained.

“Would you like to try it?” Bill pulled out some money in preparation.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Dipper nodded excitedly and hurried over to the booth.

“Thlea lpek, safas,” Bill said to the woman manning the booth, giving her the money.

The woman bended down and placed a basket, filled with what looked like switchblades, in front of them.

“Lyai fonzoel,” the woman said, holding up three fingers.

Dipper stared at the knives, wondering what they were supposed to do with them, while the woman stepped out of the way, and Bill picked up one of the blades.

Dipper only blinked and suddenly, he heard a loud “thwip” sound and one of the blades were embedded in the spinning wheel. Dipper threw Bill a confused look, while Bill looked utterly pleased.

“I managed to hit a good one,” Bill said excitedly. “Do you wish to throw one now?”

“You’re meant to… throw them?” Dipper asked, pointing at the blades.

“Yes, of course,” Bill responded very matter-of-factly.

“… I’m starting to realize that your species may have more advanced abilities in some areas,” Dipper said slowly. “Do you know how hard knife throwing is, at least to a human?”

“Oh, it is not difficult at all,” Bill insisted. “I shall assist you.”

Bill walked behind Dipper, placing one hand on Dipper’s hip, the other grabbed Dipper’s right hand. Bill’s hand guided Dipper’s to pick up one of the knives.

“Alright,” Bill whispered into Dipper’s ear. “The first thing you need is the right grip; loose enough to allow the blade to swing, but tight enough that you don’t drop it.”

Bill moved Dipper’s wrist back and forth until the blade was swinging in Dipper’s grip.

“There,” Bill whispered encouragingly and stopped. “Now, you need to focus on your target and, using mainly your wrist, throw the blade with one quick motion.”

Dipper did as instructed, and with Bill’s help, he managed to hit the wheel. The knife wasn’t deep enough to stay in the wheel for long, but Dipper was still impressed that he managed to do it.

After the remaining knives were thrown, they chose their prizes. Bill apparently scored high enough to pick any he wanted, and he chose a huge white plush, almost as big as Dipper. The plush had a body resembling that of a sea lion, but a face which was more cat-like, and with no visible ears. Dipper only got enough points to choose from the first and second shelf, but he was still impressed he had gotten enough to even get a prize. He chose a small green plush, almost entirely circular, with small spikes on its back, and frog-like legs and face.

“Wanna try more games?” Dipper asked.

“Of course,” Bill smiled and nodded before handing Dipper the giant plush. “Here.”

“Huh?” Dipper nearly fell over backwards when he received the plush. “I don’t know if I can carry this…”

“I will carry it for you, then,” Bill took the plush back and easily carried it under his arm. “But it is still yours.”

“I don’t really need a giant stuffed animal,” Dipper replied with a shrug. “But maybe our children could use one.”

Dipper noticed that Bill’s smile turned gentler at the mention of children, but he didn’t point it out, simply content to see how excited Bill was at the prospect of starting a family.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After a few more games, and three more stuffed animals (a black one with the body of a chubby bear and a face that reminded Dipper of a pug, a pink one that looked like a bird and was made out of downy feathers, and finally an orange fox-like creature with long smooth fake fur,) it was getting late. The sun had begun setting, painting the sky in hues of red, orange and pink, and most people, including Bill and Dipper, were going home.

After getting home and dumping the stuffed animals in the living room, Dipper and Bill went to Bill’s room. Bill led Dipper to the bed and instructed him to sit down.

“I shall return shortly,” he said, kissing Dipper’s hand before leaving the bedroom.

Dipper lied down, already feeling the anticipation burning him from the inside. This was it; tomorrow he would be carrying Bill’s eggs, and while the thought still seemed weird and foreign to him, it also made him happy to think about carrying their children.

Even though Bill had barely been gone five minutes, Dipper already felt impatient. He looked restlessly around the room, hoping to find something to distract himself with. He noticed that the curtains on Bill’s windows were closed, only a tiny sliver of light escaping, but that light took the form of a long white streak crawling across the floor and hitting the opposite wall.

Curious, Dipper rose from the bed and walked over to the window, pulling the curtains aside. For a short moment, he was blinded by the unexpected bright light on the other side of the window, but his eyes quickly adjusted, allowing him to see what the light was.

“It is beautiful, is it not?” Dipper felt familiar arms embrace from behind.

“It is,” Dipper nodded in agreement, leaning into Bill’s touch.

Nighttime had arrived, and with it, the three full moons had risen, now all shining over the city. The full force of the three moons bathed everything in a light that made everything shine white, giving it all an almost ethereal look, and now Bill’s room was covered in the same light.

“I’m beginning to understand why white is such an important color to your people,” Dipper noted with a smile, turning his head towards Bill. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” Bill smiled in return and once again led Dipper to the bed, and he saw what Bill had left to get; they looked like oil lamps and there was about eight of them placed around the room. They gave off a weak glow that seemed to change colors, and a scent that reminded Dipper of incense.

“Are those traditional?” Dipper asked, pointing at the lamps.

“No, I just like them,” Bill shrugged. “Their scent is calming, although they do not shine the brightest in the moonlight.”

“Come here,” Dipper smiled fondly and pushed Bill down on the bed. “Let’s get to the main event.”

“Are you sure, Pine Tree?” Bill swallowed audibly as Dipper started removing Bill’s clothing.

“Well, unless there’s some important ritual we have to do first,” Dipper responded once Bill was fully undressed.

“No, but… will this position be comfortable for you? Do you need anything before we begin?”

“Bill, I’m just going to suck you off. I mean, yeah, it’s been a while since I last sucked a dick, so I might be a little out of practice. Lucky for you, I’m a swallower.”

“Very well then,” Bill nodded cautiously and attempted to relax, while Dipper opened his mouth and went down on Bill. “Mhmph!”

“What is it?” Dipper’s head shot up at the noise Bill made.

“N-nothing, it is just… so warm,” Bill gasped.

“Is it too much?”

“No, it feels… very good. I simply… was not expecting it…”

“Okay, I’m gonna start again…”

Dipper opened his mouth and engulfed Bill’s member again. He proceeded to give a couple of small sucks before rolling his tongue, and even bopping his head. He was pulling out all the tricks he had picked up over the years, and Bill was already writhing in the sheets from it.

It wasn’t long before Bill let out a gasp and something warm entered Dipper’s mouth. It didn’t have much of a taste, but the texture reminded him of those squishy rubber toys filled with water and plastic beads. Dipper didn’t ponder on it much more than that, and managed to swallow the liquid.

“There we go,” Dipper whispered when he was finished. “Now we just have to see if it works.”

“I have no doubt it will,” Bill responded, sounding very out of breath. “Lie down.”

“Why?” Dipper asked, but did as he was told. Bill turned over and hovered over Dipper, beginning to remove his clothes.

“It is your turn now.”

“Oh, I thought we were done.”

“Why would you assume I would not reciprocate?” Bill paused and frowned.

“Nevermind,” Dipper shook his head and smiled. “Continue.”

Bill looked like he wanted to say more, but kept silent and started sucking Dipper off. Dipper could feel it was Bill’s first time, which he had expected. Still, Bill was very clearly trying his hardest to pleasure Dipper and make him feel good.

It took a bit longer, but finally Dipper came inside Bill’s mouth, who proceeded to swallow it.

“Not bad for a first try,” Dipper chuckled, sounding absolutely exhausted.

“Thank you,” Bill smiled and lied down beside Dipper, throwing the blanket over them.

“So how will we know if it worked?” Dipper asked. “If I’m pregnant?”

“The mating program’s doctors examine the egg-carriers brought in by the program; make sure everything is as it should be,” Bill explained. “They also oversee the removal procedure. I made an appointment with the doctor who examined you when you first arrived; the appointment is tomorrow, around noon. There we will find out if you are carrying, and with how many.”

“I’m kinda excited,” Dipper responded. “To become a parent.”

“As am I, Pine Tree,” Bill smiled and kissed Dipper on the forehead. “Let us sleep; we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Dipper was awoken by someone gently stroking his cheek. He smiled, as he immediately knew who it was.

“Jirik urosumi,” Dipper greeted Bill, opening his eyes.

“Good morning,” Bill responded fondly. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Um, I’m a little bit nauseous,” Dipper shrugged. “Probably just hungry.”

“It might very well be the eggs that are causing your discomfort,” Bill explained. “I have something down in the kitchen that might help you.”

Dipper followed Bill downstairs to see what it was. On the kitchen table, along with a cutting board and a knife, was a big, white fruit; it was shaped like a pear, but had more the size and general look of a gourd.

“This fruit is called ‘Kethrar Karrakaq’, it loosely translated to ‘Mother’s Relief’,” Bill picked up the knife and used it to peel the big fruit, revealing a smooth, but very hard-looking, surface beneath. Afterwards, he took out a plate and glass, and put the peel on the plate. Then he used the knife to cut off the very top of the fruit and tipped it over, pouring something that looked white apple juice into the glass, before placing both the glass and plate on the table. “I must tell you, for as long as you are carrying the eggs, you can only eat and drink this for breakfast. Anything else would further upset the stomach, as well as run the risk of harming the eggs.”

“But I can eat and drink whatever I want for lunch and dinner?” Dipper asked, sitting down in front of his breakfast.

“Anything that is not overly spicy,” Bill said.

“Eh, I’m not that crazy about spicy food anyway,” Dipper shrugged and put one of the peels into his mouth before chewing. Its taste reminded him of bell pepper, juicy but mostly flavorless, but as he swallowed, he could already feel his stomach calming down. “Eating this for breakfast every morning won’t be too much of a sacrifice,” Dipper laughed before taking a sip of the juice, which tasted a lot like the peel, only sweeter.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After a short trip in Bill’s vehicle, Dipper found himself back at mating program’s main building. He followed Bill inside as the two walked up to a front desk where a young man was sitting.

“Efil viwryrx,” the man smiled and greeted them.

“Efil viwryrx,” Bill responded. “Yov yz Siheas Brhithel Chiypherqi. Msy zaires, Dipper Pines, xora idi arlaenbonn letah Fricto Qrulnaho.”

“Ri, yov zaa uhs tybur sease,” the man nodded, looking at a screen on a device he held in his hand. “Jat farephse aduhrvay tonons tma-zena-gyra, yamir tra varr gei sease atiz phoxar atiz vozzelzo.”

“Azorq viel,” Bill smiled and led Dipper away towards a hallway. “He said we should wait for the doctor inside room 205.”

“Okay,” Dipper nodded. “I don’t understand Cyonian as well as Auldrinish yet.”

“Do not worry about that,” Bill assured him as they entered the assigned room. “Currently you should focus on mastering Auldrinish, then you can begin studying Cyonian, if you so desire.”

“Maybe I’ll get around to it somewhere down the line,” Dipper chuckled as the door opened. Dipper recognized the man who stepped inside as the doctor who had examined him.

“Axaczi Zel,” he said. He walked over to an examination table that stood in the middle of the room, and gestured for Dipper to come over. Dipper walked over to him and lied down on the table. “Aksedihn, axigrax yz kria cirigam?”

“He is asking you how you are feeling,” Bill translated.

“Uh, fine,” Dipper shrugged.

“Tray z cirigam auka,” Bill told the doctor, who nodded in understanding. The doctor turned on a machine nearby the table, a small screen lighting up as the power traverse through it, before the doctor picked up a jar and opened it.

“Czaoza tsuhk ofo kriakir azzrezr,” the doctor said as he applied the substance inside the jar to some kind of thin piece of cloth.

“He needs to see your stomach,” Bill explained and Dipper responded by pulling up his shirt slightly, revealing his stomach.

The doctor placed the cloth on Dipper’s stomach, the human recoiling slightly at the feeling of the cold substance on it, before the doctor pulled out something that looked like a scanner, and was connected to the machine, and pressed it onto the cloth. The screen showed a very dark, barely discernible picture, which the doctor looked at thoroughly.

“Kria yz fenmane… gyra shigrixa,” the doctor said.

“Gyra?” Bill looked shocked.

“That’s five, right Bill?” Dipper asked.

“Eakaruto, sease yz elmirehn vozzelsoreno taheth idi, tma, yh ras kurarae uhn shigrixano yz ras giranir,” the doctor continued and wrote something down. “Qane faanyer aduhr tma miira, yamir vour varr zaz ivinararourno.”

“Zur vour voqa difox arlaenbonn awen vlarono?” Bill asked.

“Eakaruto,” the doctor nodded.

“Alright, Pine Tree, we can leave now,” Bill told Dipper while the doctor removed the cloth on Dipper’s stomach.

“Kria yamir kriakir zaires zaz qrigri lesiluano uhn fenmane shigrix, tybur?” the doctor asked before they had a chance to leave.

“Ri, Fricto,” Bill nodded, helping Dipper get up from the examination table.

“Efil,” the doctor smiled and waved goodbye as they left.

“So it will be another two months before the eggs are removed,” Bill explained.

“Huh, that’s not too bad,” Dipper noted. “How big are the eggs gonna be anyway?”

“About this,” Bill used the distance between his hands to show the size, which was about the size of Dipper’s head, if not bigger.

“Five of those are gonna be inside me!?!” Dipper shrieked, not wanting to imagine how just one egg of that size could fit in his stomach.

“No, no, that is the egg’s final size,” Bill assured him. “Once they are removed, they will be about this big,” he shortened the distance between his hands to about the size of a chicken egg, maybe a little bit bigger.

“Okay, I think I can manage that,” Dipper let out a sigh of relief.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Czaoza zaz ras sorbrab ofo hesolo aduhr fuedon = Please do not stand up on the boat

Qara tahrey! = Safe trip!

 

Taqqirkupkil = Taqqir is an Auldrinish word for sweet candy mainly composed of sugar, Kupkil is the name of an exploding weapon similar to a handgrenade, created from unstable minerals that explode on impact

 

Thlea lpek, safas = Two games, please

Lyai fonzoel = Three tries

 

Jirik urosumi = Good morneng

 

Efil viwryrx = Good morning

Yov yz Siheas Brhithel Chiypherqi. Msy zaires, Dipper Pines, xora idi arlaenbonn letah Fricto Qrulnaho = I am Siheas Brhithel Chiypherqi. My mate, Dipper Pines, has an appointment with Doctor Qrulnaho

Ri, yov zaa uhs tybur sease = I see it right there

Jat farephse aduhrvay tonons tma-zena-gyra, yamir tra varr gei sease atiz phoxar atiz vozzelzo = Just step inside room two-zero-five, and he will be there as soon as possible

Azorq viel = Thank you

 

Axaczi Zel = Hello

Aksedihn, axigrax yz kria cirigam? = Alright, how are you feeling?

Tray yz cirigam auka = He is feeling fine

Czaoza tsuhk ofo kriakir azzrezr = Please pull up your azzrezr (azzrezr is the name of the clothing article Dipper is wearing at that moment. It's a loose fitting, long-sleeved shirt made from a light, soft material)

Kria yz fenmane… gyra shigrixa = He is carrying... five eggs

Eakaruto, sease yz elmirehn vozzelsoreno taheth idi, tma, yh ras kurarae uhn shigrixano yz ras giranir = Of course, there is always the possibility that one, two, if not more of the eggs are unfertile

Qane faanyer aduhr tma miira, yamir vour varr zaz ivinararourno = Come back in two months, and we will do the operation

Zur vour voqa difox arlaenbonn awen vlarono? = Can we make the next appointment over phone?

Eakaruto = Of course

Kria yamir kriakir zaires zaz qrigri lesiluano uhn fenmane shigrix, tybur? = You and your mate do know the rules of carrying eggs, right?

Ri, Fricto = Yes, Doctor

Efil = Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this chapter was originally going to be longer and end on somewhat of a cliffhanger, but I'm either going to include that in another chapter or make it a chapter to itself, and if I decide on the latter, next chapter will be pretty short. I'm currently writing something special for Halloween, it was originally going to be Trustworthy Au story, but I couldn't come up with a good plot, so I'm writing something else:3
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter:3 Please leave a comment if you want to


	8. Returning to Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Dipper's eggs are getting closer and closer to hatching. In the meantime, the Council summons Bill to discuss whether or not Dipper will go back to Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, new chapter! Sorry it took so long, I've been dealing with some personal stuff lately
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter:3

The two months Dipper had spent carrying the eggs, had gone by in a flash. His stomach had expanded slightly, but nowhere near the size of a fully pregnant woman. Over the first two weeks, the morning sickness had gotten steadily worse, but then it had slowly gotten better. According to Bill, that was because his body was getting used to the eggs.

Speaking of Bill, he was so excited for their children to arrive, he almost constantly had a hand placed on Dipper’s stomach. He also kept a close eye to Dipper, as if he was expecting or waiting for something, but Dipper had no idea what it was.

It was the evening before Dipper was scheduled to have the eggs removed. Dipper was in his and Bill’s room, reading on the bed, when Bill entered carrying what looked like dirty laundry.

“Oh, you are reading,” Bill observed and placed the clothes on the ground.

“What else would I be doing?” Dipper frowned. “And why are you carrying laundry into our room?”

“I thought maybe you would need it,” Bill explained.

“For what?”

“The… nerenon… the… nest?” Bill looked confused and kept scanning the room for something. “Does… your species not nest?”

“No, we don’t,” Dipper shook his head, beginning to understand why Bill was confused.

“Oh, I see,” Bill nodded. “But our eggs will need a nest.”

“And you want to make it out of dirty laundry?” Dipper asked, not too keen on the idea.

“It is the important that the nest smells like us,” Bill insisted. “When Crauhloh children are hatched, they are blind; they depend on their sense of smell and hearing, so it is important that they are surrounded by the smell of their parents.”

“Alright, alright,” Dipper relented. “As long as it doesn’t stink up the entire room. But just so you know, human babies can see from the birth; not particularly good, but still, our kids might be able to see.”

After their brief discussion, the two parents-to-be started making the nest; it was a big basin-shaped pile, placed on a desk they had moved over to the big window. Bill explained that during the day, the eggs would absorb heat from the sun, and during the night they would put a blanket over them so they could stay warm.

“Well, all that work made me hungry,” Dipper sighed when the nest was done. “What’s for dinner?”

“Did I forget to tell you?” Bill frowned before a very apologetic expression came over his face. “I am so sorry, Pine Tree, but because you are having the eggs removed tomorrow, you cannot have anything to eat sixteen hours before.”

“Oh wait, that’s right, something about there’s a chance you’ll throw up during the operation and choke on your own barf, right?” Dipper pulled a distasteful face. “Well, that sucks, but it’s not like I can change that.”

“Worry not, I will fast with you, and tomorrow after the operation, I will treat you to a luxurious lunch,” Bill promised.

“Bill, you can eat you know,” Dipper shrugged.

“No, we are in this together,” Bill insisted, and Dipper couldn’t help but smile, even if he thought his husband was being silly.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

By the time they left for the doctor next morning, Dipper felt hungry enough to eat just about anything, but he knew it would all be worth it once he had his eggs in his arms.

As soon as they had gotten dressed, Bill and Dipper travelled to Dr. Qrulnaho. When they arrived, they were escorted into, what Dipper assumed was, an operating room where the doctor was waiting.

Dipper was instructed to lie down on the table in the room, and the doctor used the same machine on Dipper that he used last time.

“Shigrixel xora inowan raokiril,” the doctor said before turning off the machine. He had someone else in the room, probably a nurse, and made a gesture to her. She pulled over another machine, one with a breathing mask attached. The nurse placed the mask over Dipper’s nose and mouth.

“Zur kria yoaxay ruaqira routo kriakir Zaires?” the nurse asked Bill.

“Ri, yov yz enauraus letah uhs,” Bill nodded and turned to Dipper. “You have to remain awake during the operation, so this mask will release a relaxing gas to block out the pain. Try your best to breathe calmly.”

“Got it,” Dipper nodded in understanding, shaking the mask slightly as he did. The nurse turned on the machine and the sound of gas leaking was heard.

Dipper breathed as deeply as he could; the gas didn’t have any smell, but his head was starting to feel a bit… foggy. Dipper let out a giggle, not really knowing why, and suddenly he couldn’t stop laughing. The nurse turned off the machine, or maybe just lowered the amount of gas it was releasing, and Dipper knew now what gas it was.

“I know what this is,” Dipper’s words were slightly slurred and his entire body felt heavy, especially his legs, which he couldn’t even feel. “Laughing gas!”

The doctor and nurse didn’t respond, but just began working. Dipper felt a cold cloth being stroked across his belly, and then a pen or some kind of crayon drawing a line. He vaguely felt something sharp cut into him, but the pain seemed so far away, and Dipper felt so at peace, that he couldn’t be bothered to react.

The rest of the operation was just a foggy blur that Dipper couldn’t recall much of, although he did remember complaining to the doctor that he wasn’t handling Dipper’s eggs gentle enough.

The eggs were removed, washed, and placed in a basket, Dipper was sewn back up, and the family was then escorted out. Dipper was sitting in the vehicle, Bill on one side, the basket with their five eggs on the other, when the gas started wearing off.

“I think your people’s laughing gas is more powerful than the kind on Earth,” Dipper remarked, still looping slightly loopy.

“Is that what humans call it?” Bill tilted his head in thought. “We just refer to it as an anesthesia. It did have an odd effect on you; the laughter is normal, but you talked quite a lot.”

“It’s normal for humans to just speak whatever’s on their mind while on laughing gas,” Dipper explained, absentmindedly stroking one of the eggs in the basket, then freezing up when he realized it. He turned his gaze to the five small eggs, lying right there beside him; they were about the size of a chicken egg, but more oval in shape, and without the smooth texture, having instead a rough, almost scaly, exterior. The eggs were white, but had a vague glow of blue to them.

“They are beautiful,” Bill whispered tenderly.

“Yeah,” Dipper nodded in agreement, giving one of the eggs a gentle pat. “So how long before they hatch?”

“Five months or so,” Bill responded. “It is different of course.”

“We’ve got a lot to do,” Dipper suddenly realized. “We need to prepare a nursery, buy toys, clothes, furniture, we need names-“

“No need to get so worked up, Pine Tree,” Bill laughed and stroked Dipper’s cheek fondly. “We have plenty of time. Now, shall we go eat that lunch I promised you?”

“What about the eggs?”

“They can remain in the vehicle; it is nice and warm in here, and Suapheo, our chauffeur, will guard them while we eat.”

“Okay, if you’re sure,” Dipper sighed. “I don’t want anyone to think I’m an irresponsible parent.”

“No one is going to think that, I promise,” Bill pulled a sad expression before correcting himself. “Well, there are those who will think so, but they will think so regardless of what you do.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After eating the biggest lunch of his life, Dipper returned home with Bill and the eggs. After placing the eggs in the nest, the two parents made a plan over everything they needed to do; first, they had to pick out a nursery. Bill explained that Crauhloh children should remain close at least for the first few years, after which the children could have their own rooms. Then they needed furniture, clothes, and toys. Dipper suggested they wait with that until they knew how many of the eggs were fertile, so that they didn’t accidentally buy too much or too little.

Finally, they needed names, and there Bill came with a surprise;

“I want our children to have human names,” Bill said.

“Really?” Dipper asked surprised. He had expected that Bill would want their children to have Crauhloh names, or rather Auldrinish names. “Auldria…” Dipper pondered for a moment. “Uh, how about Aurelia? Aurel can work as a boy’s name.”

“What does it mean?” Bill questioned, writing the names down.

“Uh, I think it means “Golden”, or something like that. We could probably call one of the children that, if any of them get your hair and eye color.”

“We will need more names than that, though.”

“Let’s pick ten names for now, five girl names, five boy names, and then when we know for sure how many children we’ll have, we can pick our favorites,” Dipper suggested.

“Do you have any other ideas?” Bill asked.

“Um…” Dipper thought for a moment. “When I was younger, I always wanted to be called Tyrone.”

“I do not like that name,” Bill frowned and didn’t write the name down.

“Fair enough,” Dipper nodded. “Tyrone… rone… Rowan?”

“Rowan has a nice sound to it,” Bill smiled and wrote it down.

“It’s the name of a tree, like a pine tree,” Dipper explained. “Alright that’s three… Uh, I think Lauren is a kind of tree too, a laurel tree.”

“Lauren gets added as well,” Bill nodded.

“Okay, and then… uh, Stella means ‘star’.”

“Stella,” Bill nodded in agreement and wrote it down.

“Going off on that, how about Jace? It means ‘moon’.”

“I like that.”

“Alex or Alexander,” Dipper suggested. “Or maybe even Xander? They mean “Defender of Mankind”.”

“’Alexander’ sounds very similar to Alehksandor,” Bill frowned. “That is the name of a parasitic fungus.”

“Okay, we won’t go with that,” Dipper agreed; naming your child something that sounded similar to a parasite was probably not the best idea. “Um, Xavier? I think it means, ‘new home’.”

“I like that,” Bill smiled and wrote the name down.

“Okay, just three more,” Dipper thought for a moment. “Do you have any name suggestions? Maybe some Auldrinish names sound similar to American names.”

“Well… my…” Bill paused for a moment before continuing. “My Kethrar was named ‘Xheriel’. It derives from the Auldrinish word ‘Xherel’ which means ‘cloud’.”

“That sounds a lot like ‘Cheryl’,” Dipper responded, along with placing a hand on Bill’s shoulder and giving him a small squeeze. “It means ‘beloved’.”

“I think we should add that to the list,” Bill smiled, but his eyes were beginning to fill with tears.

“We could also name one of our children Xheriel, if you want,” Dipper suggested.

“No, that was my Kethrar’s name,” Bill shook his head. “Cheryl is better suited for a new life.”

“Any other names?” Dipper asked.

“My Kothrar’s name was ‘Marsolesunes’,” Bill responded.

“Uh… that kinda sounds like ‘Miles’,” Dipper shrugged. “I think that means ‘merciful’.”

“I will add it to the list,” Bill said. “Now we just need one more name. Do you have any relatives you would like to name our children after?”

“Not really,” Dipper shrugged. “I think… what about ‘Serena’?”

“As in ‘serenity’?” Bill asked.

“Yeah, it’s not anything special, but it sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Bill nodded with a smile. “Then that is it. We will examine the names further once we have a better idea how many children we’ll be having.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Within the next couple of months, Dipper and Bill took care of the eggs, polishing them every day, letting them bathe in the sun, and putting a warm blanket over them every night. Dipper hardly ever left the eggs out of sight, and every time he’d look at them, he’d feel a small flutter in his chest; these were his children, soon he’d get to see them, and he couldn’t wait.

During the months, two of the eggs grew a considerable amount, followed by a third of the eggs which continuously stayed at a smaller size than the other two. The remaining two eggs didn’t grow at all, and while the other three eggs generated some heat, the remaining two didn’t. It seemed like Dipper and Bill would have three children.

The two unfertilized eggs were disposed of, giving the three fertilized eggs more room in the nest, which was needed considering the rate the eggs were growing at.

The next thing Dipper and Bill needed to do, was to buy clothes, furniture, and toys for their children. It ended up taking two weeks of shopping before Dipper was satisfied with the amount of things for their babies, but he couldn’t help himself; he was excited, the hatching day couldn’t come soon enough.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

There was only about a month left of waiting, give or take a week, when Bill was contacted by the Council. Apparently they wished to see Bill, but Bill wouldn’t say for what, and he seemed worried about it.

Dipper had asked Bill if he wanted him to go along, but Bill told Dipper to stay and keep an eye on the eggs. It took five hours before he returned.

“Bill, what took you so long?” Dipper asked, giving his husband a worried look. Dipper was sitting in their bed and cuddling the eggs, having moved the nest to the bed after the weather got cloudy.

“I did everything I could,” Bill sighed and sat down beside Dipper. “You may recall that I had sent a letter to the Council, asking for you to be allowed to return home.”

“I… do remember that,” Dipper frowned, a wave of conflicting emotions welling up inside him; had the Council approved? Was Dipper going back to Earth? Would he be given the choice, and if so, what would he choose? He couldn’t just leave Bill and their children behind, they were his family now! But his other family, Mabel, his parents, his two Great-Uncles, they were all probably worried sick about him, wondering what had happened to him. “So…” Dipper swallowed nervously, trying to brace himself for the answer. “What did they tell you?”

“They said, that while they sympathize with your plight, and understand your frustrations concerning the misunderstanding which led to this, for the sake of our people’s future, and for the sake of keeping the knowledge of our people a secret to yours, they cannot allow you to return home.”

“That’s… disappointing,” Dipper noted, but was also filled with relief that he didn’t have to make such a difficult choice, because at this point, he knew he would have chosen to stay with Bill, and that thought scared him a bit.

“I know,” Bill nodded. “So I argued with them for a while, trying to make them change their mind, and we did reach a… compromise; in a few days, they will allow you to return home for a week, let you say your goodbyes and see Earth one last time, before returning back here.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Dipper felt his mood lighten; it wasn’t the perfect solution, but it was better than nothing.

“Also, they required that you bring along an escort who ensures that you do not tell of our people, as well as make sure you do not attempt to escape once you reach Earth. I convinced the Council that I would be the best candidate for the job, as I speak your people’s language, and have the biggest reason not to let you go.”

“Yeah, these guys,” Dipper chuckled and gave the eggs a small pat each. This was turning out a lot better than expected; now he would also be able to introduce Bill to his family!

“Yes, but what they do not know is, I also have the biggest reason to let you go as well,” Bill said with a small smirk.

“What?” Dipper paused, confused at Bill’s comment.

“Once we reach Earth, I can help you escape!” Bill explained excitedly. “Like you wanted! I will tell the Council that you managed to escape me, and you will undoubtedly be forced to lay low for a while, just in case the Council tries to relocate you, but-“

“Bill, I’m not escaping,” Dipper replied, shocked that Bill had even thought that.

“But… is that not what you wanted?” Bill asked quietly, his previous excitement forgotten. “To go back home?”

“Bill, this IS my home now,” Dipper responded. “I wanted to return to Earth a very long time ago. Now, I have you, and our children; I’m not leaving you.”

“You… you are not?”

“Mri lizair iao, Bill,” Dipper smiled and rested his forehead on Bill’s. “Ish xit riheshir mri.”

“Pam naneo,” Bill smiled back. The corners of his eyes were getting slightly wet with unshed tears. “So what do we do?”

“I think we should still go,” Dipper said. “I want to… at least try to somewhat explain what happened to my family, minus the alien part, let them know I’m okay. And I want them to meet you.”

“We cannot bring the eggs along, though,” Bill frowned. “Eggs are not safe for space travel.”

“Well, can we then at least wait until the eggs are hatched?” Dipper asked, not wanting to leave their children behind.

“Unfortunately, we have to make the travel within the next few days,” Bill groaned. “You can thank Tlummus for that.”

“Tlummus? He’s on the Council?”

“After his father died, he had to take his place,” Bill explained. “And he insisted that if the travel was so important for you, you would have trouble making it as fast as possible, and if not, then it obviously did not mean anything to you. I was so close to just…” Bill let out a frustrated snarl.

“That goddamn prick,” Dipper growled. “He’s gotta know we have eggs to take care of! He’s trying to make me look like a bad parent, abandoning my children at their most vulnerable state. I’m surprised he didn’t make it so that we’d have to leave just around the time they hatch.”

“He would have undoubtedly done so, if that would not make his true intentions so transparent,” Bill nodded in agreement. “Unsurprisingly, he was one of the only ones there in favor of letting you stay on Earth.”

“Of course he was,” Dipper shook his head. “I need to learn more insults in your language; I wanna be fully prepared next time I see that asshole.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It took a few days of preparing, but Dipper and Bill were finally settled to travel to Earth.

“A mining ship has to travel past Earth for its destination,” Bill had explained when Dipper asked about transport. “They will drop us off, and then pick us back up a week later. The travel to Earth will take about three days, so we will be gone for less than two weeks.”

“So at least we’ll make it for the eggs hatch,” Dipper sighed, packing away clothes that could pass for casual wear on Earth.

“Runaepha will mind my work while we are gone,” Bill said, mostly to himself. “Krolym will oversee the house… Phofia will take care of the eggs… I believe we have everything covered now. Except we have yet to figure out how we will hide me on Earth.”

“Hide you?” Dipper repeated.

“Yes, we cannot allow humans to find out about alien life forms, so I must remain hidden.”

“Bill, you don’t look that different from a human,” Dipper replied with a small laugh. “I mean, there are people on Earth who have skin tones as dark as you, and your cheek marks could easily pass for tattoos.”

“What are tattoos?” Bill asked.

“Well, basically humans inject ink into the skin using needles, which creates a permanent image there,” Dipper explained.

“Humans… inject ink into their skin… for purely aesthetic purposes?”

“Yeah,” Dipper shrugged.

“The more I hear about humans, the more surprised I am that your species is not extinct,” Bill shook his head. “Your people must be exceedingly fierce and resistant to not only survive your planet, but also do things like stab yourselves with needles and drink poison, for no other reason than just wanting to.”

“When you put it like that, I guess it is kinda weird,” Dipper shrugged. “Anyway, the only things we need to keep hidden are your eyes and the scales on your stomach. I mean, your teeth and tongue are a little suspicious too, but people aren’t likely to notice that.”

“I can easily keep my scales hidden,” Bill said. “But how are we going to disguise my eyes?”

“We could probably use sunglasses,” Dipper replied. “But I doubt your planet has something like that, so I’ll probably have to get you a pair when we land.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The next day, after giving the eggs a last look over and telling everyone goodbye, Bill and Dipper travelled to Zieova where the mining ship was waiting.

Dipper, Bill, and all the workers on the ship, except for the trained pilots and the captain, were knocked out in protective pods during the ship’s launch. Once the ship had broken out of Noulara’s gravitational field, and the artificial gravity in the ship had been deployed, they were all awoken and allowed to walk around the ship.

The trip was rather uneventful, though Dipper was excited to travel through space.

“So, I don’t really remember how long my original trip to Noulara took,” Dipper said on their first night on the ship as they were getting ready for bed. “But I don’t think it took three days.”

“Well, the Mating Program’s vehicles are more advanced,” Bill explained. “This ship is just a small mining craft after all.”

“Okay, I see,” Dipper nodded in understanding. “I can’t wait for you to meet Mabel; she was always going on and on about how much I needed to get laid,” Dipper laughed to himself. “I can’t wait to see her expression when she finds out I’m married.”

“’Mated’ is the proper term,” Bill responded. “I am excited to meet your family as well. Do you believe they will accept me?”

“I don’t see why not,” Dipper shrugged. “Mabel is going to adore you, that much I can tell you.”

They didn’t speak much after that. They were content to just hold each other, a comfortable silence around them, as they fell asleep.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When they reached Earth, Dipper was able to stare at blue planet through the ship’s windows; it was breathtaking, a sight most humans never got to see, aside from in pictures of course. But a picture could not compare to real life. Seeing the planet from his current vantage point made Dipper feel so small and insignificant, but also like he was on top of the world. It was a complicated emotion, but a wonderful one nonetheless.

Inside the ship there was a smaller vehicle with space for three people; this vehicle transported Bill, Dipper, and the pilot of the vehicle to Earth. After dropping off Bill and Dipper, in the very same empty field the e-mail Dipper received had directed him to, Dipper and Bill had to walk back into the city.

It was a somewhat long walk, but the road there was mostly devoid of humans, making it easier to hide Bill’s eyes. When they finally entered the city, Bill had to keep his eyes closed, until Dipper managed to swipe a pair of sunglasses from a street vendor. He should probably feel bad about stealing, but Bill needed these sunglasses, they didn’t have any American currency, and sunglasses were overpriced as hell anyway.

After getting the sunglasses, Dipper led Bill to Mabel and Pacifica’s home; a small house in the outskirts of the city. Dipper had thought about going to his old apartment first, but he had been gone for almost half a year, his apartment had probably been rented out to someone else by now. It was odd, almost sad, to think of how much must have changed while he was gone.

When they arrived at Mabel and Pacifica’s home, they had walked for almost four hours, and they were both tired. Bill had also mentioned several times that he was cold, despite it being late spring and quite warm, but then again, Bill’s body temperature was lower than a human’s and he was used to warmer temperatures.

As Dipper walked up to the front door and rang the door bell, he hoped that Mabel and Pacifica hadn’t moved while he was gone.

Dipper heard someone walk up to the door, and he braced himself, trying to remain calm and prepare himself for whoever would open the door.

The door opened, and greeting him was his sister, Mabel; she looked more pale and somber than normal, but it was her, until she laid her eyes on Dipper. At first she looked stunned, her jaw dropped and tears filled her eyes.

Before Dipper had a chance to say a word, Mabel embraced him with all her might, almost knocking Dipper over with the force.

“Dipper!” Mabel sobbed loudly, hugging her brother closer. “I-! W-we thought w-we’d never see y-you aga-ain!”

“Don’t worry, Mabel, it’s alright,” Dipper said, trying his best to console his crying sister. He threw Bill a look, and his lover seemed very surprised at the young woman’s reaction.

“It’s just, no one knew what happened to you!” Mabel cried, finally letting go of Dipper. “Everyone was expecting the worst, and…” Mabel finally noticed Bill. “… Who’s that?”

“Mabel, this is Bill,” Dipper began to explain. “He’s sort of my… husband.”

 

_____________________________________________

 

Translated Alien Dialogue:

Nerenon = Nest

Shigrixel xora inowan raokiril = The eggs have grown beautifly

Zur kria yoaxay ruaqira routo kriakir Zaires = Can you explain the procedure to your mate

Ri, yov yz enauraus letah uhs = Yes, I am familiar with it

Mri lizair iao = I love you

Ish xit riheshir mri = And I mean it

Pam naneo = My naneo/(a term of endearment, similar to sweetheart, love. Its literal translation is "treasure")

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will focus on Dipper showing off Earth to Bill, and Bill trying to impress Dipper's family:3
> 
> Also, I would love to hear from you which of the names I should give the children when they hatch. Aurelia/Aurel has already been chosen by me, and I will pick one boy name and one girl name based on you guys' votes:3
> 
> Anyway, please leave a comment if you want to, I really appreciate it:3


	9. Meeting Mabel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill meets Dipper's sister and her fiancée.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was originally going to encompass Bill and Dipper's entire visit to Earth, but because of my writer's block, I decided in order to make it easier on myself by splitting it up in two, maybe three, chapters instead.
> 
> Hope you'll like it:3

Dipper was sitting in his sister’s living room, on a couch right beside Bill. Mabel was sitting in an arm chair in front of them, only the coffee table separating them.

 

“So, uh,” Dipper mumbled, already feeling the atmosphere turn awkward. “Did… did you and Pacifica get married while I was gone?”

 

“No,” Mabel responded, her face expressionless as she was staring at Bill; she had done so ever since Dipper introduced him. “Everything got put on hold while you… while you were gone.”

 

“Oh, I’m… I’m sorry,” Dipper’s expression fell. Some part of him felt sort of flattered that his disappearance had had such a big impact on everyone’s lives, but that part was overshadowed by the majority of him, which felt nothing but guilt.

 

Dipper was soon broken out of his train of thought when he felt Bill place a hand on his, stroking it gently and encouragingly.

 

“Is Pacifica home?” Dipper asked Mabel, after giving Bill a grateful smile.

 

“No, she won’t be home for a few hours,” Mabel explained, finally turning her gaze to Dipper with a smile. “So in the meantime, why don’t you tell me about your… husband, and more importantly, what happened to you?”

 

“It’s… sort of a long story,” Dipper sighed. “Remember that e-mail you sent me? Well, turns out it was for some kind of… vacation slash dating service. Everything happened kinda sudden, and I didn’t have time to tell you or anyone about it before I left. Anyway, the… transportation I was on crashed, and I was stranded. Luckily, I met Bill and we sort of just… fell in love. I wasn’t able to get back until now, and I’ll be going back home with Bill, but-“

 

“You aren’t staying?” Mabel looked at him with a heartbroken expression.

 

“I’m staying for a week,” Dipper shrugged, unsure of how he was supposed to console his sister.

 

“… What country were you stranded in?” Mabel suddenly asked.

 

“Uh, what?” Dipper gave her a confused look before she asked again.

 

“What country were you stranded in?”

 

“Auldria,” Bill responded without hesitation.

 

“It’s… it’s a country in Africa,” Dipper added.

 

“I’ve never heard of it,” Mabel said, looking skeptically at Bill. “Where in Africa is it?”

 

“W-west of Nigeria,” Dipper blurted out. “I-It’s a… very small country.”

 

“Dipper, can I speak with you for a moment, alone?” Mabel asked, rising from her chair and walking towards the door leading into the hallway.

 

“Sure,” Dipper gave Bill a kiss on the cheek before following Mabel into the hallway, his sister closing the door after them.

 

“Alright, I’ll call the police,” Mabel announced, keeping her voice low. “You go back in there and make sure he stays until they arrive.”

 

“What?!” Dipper exclaimed, only to be shushed by his sister. “Mabel, why do you wanna call the police?”

 

“You know why,” Mabel hissed through gritted teeth, but when Dipper gave her a confused look, she continued. “After you disappeared, the police started an investigation. After showing them the e-mail I sent you, they found out that a line of code inside the e-mail changed the location in it to the nearest deserted area of the receiver’s IP address. They investigated further and discovered that you weren’t the only one who disappeared, just the only one who was declared missing; three other people had disappeared too; a woman from Uganda, a man from Japan, and another woman from Scotland, and they had all received the same e-mail.”

 

Dipper’s eyes widened; he knew he hadn’t been the only one taken by Bill’s people, and it made sense that other humans had been taken as well, but it had never really been at the forefront of his mind.

 

“Why… why weren’t they reported missing?” Dipper asked.

 

“The woman from Uganda was transgender,” Mabel explained. “Her family had disowned her, and when she disappeared, they assumed she had been killed. Apparently that’s very common in Uganda… The man from Japan had also been disowned; a combination of him being gay and dropping out of high school, and he was also a… hikikomori, I think the police called it, basically a hermit who never leaves his apartment or socializes with anyone. And the woman from Scotland had lost her entire family in a car accident, and had lost her job because of the depression caused by her family’s death, and may have been close to suicide. The police think that you were all picked out of everyone who had received the e-mail, and visited the spot directed in it, because you were the least likely to be missed. The police even found out that this isn’t the first time, that about ten years ago something similar happened to a handful of people all across the world.”

 

“Mabel, I wasn’t kidnapped,” Dipper insisted, but his sister didn’t listen.

 

“The police think it’s related to human trafficking, that you were all sold off,” Mabel continued. “But they made a mistake; they thought no one would miss you, but they were wrong, and now the cops are gonna beat down on this organization! That’s why you’re here, right? Because your captors realized we were looking for you?”

 

“Mabel, no,” Dipper placed his hands on his sister’s shoulders, trying to get her to calm down. “I wasn’t kidnapped, at least not technically. And Bill’s not a part of some human trafficking ring; he’s really kind and sweet, and I love him.”

 

“Dipper…” Mabel looked at him with a sorrowful expression. “Did they brainwash you?”

 

“What!? No!” Dipper shouted, only to be shushed again. “Mabel, you don’t know what’s going on here.”

 

“Then tell me,” Mabel demanded.

 

“I can’t,” Dipper sighed.

 

“Then I’m calling the police,” Mabel said. “If there’s nothing wrong with your boyfriend, then the cops won’t find anything.”

 

“You can’t,” Dipper insisted.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Just trust me on this,” Dipper pleaded.

 

“Alright, I’ll trust that you’re not brainwashed, if you can tell me one thing you hate about your boyfriend,” Mabel said challengingly.

 

“He…” Dipper raked his brain for anything; sure there were a couple of things about Bill he found annoying, but those traits were also endearing, and he couldn’t think of anything he actually hated about Bill. “His… hands are really cold…”

 

“… Not good enough.”

 

“I…” Dipper hesitated, but then turned around and went through the door to the living room. “Bill, wae pofar ontroi zes.”

 

“Dipper? What is that language?” Mabel asked while following Dipper through the door.

 

“Uru iao zoga?” Bill asked Dipper as he stood up from the couch and gently caressed Dipper’s face.

 

“Shur uru a flease vowo,” Dipper sighed and turned to Mabel. “Mabel, I’m going to tell you the truth, but only if you promise to never tell anyone else.”

 

“… That depends,” Mabel said and narrowed her eyes.

 

“Mabel, you have to promise me!” Dipper insisted. “I’m serious, you can’t ever tell anyone about this, otherwise Bill will get in serious trouble.”

 

“… Fine,” Mabel groaned and threw her hands in the air.

 

“Alright,” Dipper removed Bill’s sunglasses, showing his yellow eyes with their slit pupils.

 

“… So, your boyfriend uses wacky contact lenses?” Mabel tilted her head in confusion.

 

Dipper groaned and pulled up Bill’s shirt, revealing the black scales on his stomach. Mabel’s eyes widened and she took a step back.

 

“Those… Those wouldn’t happen to be just a really well made tattoo, right?” she asked, almost sounding out of breath.

 

“No, they’re scales,” Dipper clarified.

 

“I am what you people refer to as an ‘alien’,” Bill added. “That is why it is imperative that you do not tell anyone else. You were not even supposed to know, but Pine Tree insisted that you should, and well…” a small smile appeared on Bill’s face. “I cannot seem to say no to him.”

 

“I don’t think anyone would even believe me if I did,” Mabel shook her head slightly and sat down in the armchair. “So what’s the story here?”

 

“Bill’s planet was hit by an illness that killed a lot of his people,” Dipper explained, he and Bill sitting back down in the couch. “His people were forced to abduct other species compatible with them, or face extinction.”

 

“So you were kidnapped?” Mabel asked.

 

“Not exactly,” Dipper bit his lower lip nervously. “It’s more of a lost-in-translation sort of deal. Bill’s people thought the people they kidnapped had agreed to what it said in the e-mail, so…”

 

“So, um, you mentioned that all this is because of a… population problem? So, uh… Is Bill a woman? Sorry, if it’s offensive to ask that.”

 

“No, Bill needed me to carry his eggs,” Dipper explained.

 

“You… ‘carried’ his eggs,” Mabel repeated. “Are you parents now?!”

 

“Not quite yet,” Bill smiled. “Our eggs will hatch in a few weeks.”

 

“There are three of them,” Dipper added, smiling too. “I’m… actually really excited for it.”

 

“So both of you are completely happy about this?” Mabel asked.

 

“Yes, Pine Tree is my Musunathae,” Bill responded happily.

 

“Bill thinks I’m his soul mate,” Dipper explained. “Well, his people’s equivalent to a soul mate. Anyway, I’m happy with Bill too. Honestly, I think I’m a lot better off than I was here on Earth.”

 

“You… do look a lot healthier,” Mabel remarked somewhat melancholically. “So why are you back?”

 

“I wanted to say goodbye to everyone,” Dipper let out a sad sigh. “I didn’t want you to worry about me, and… I wanted to see you all a last time.”

 

“I may be able to convince the Council to let us revisit,” Bill interjected. “I cannot make any promises, but I will try my best.”

 

“Well, I’ll try to get everyone here,” Mabel shrugged awkwardly. “We can… find a day where everyone can meet up and see you’re fine. In the meantime, while you’re here you can stay in the guestroom.”

 

“Thanks a bunch, Mabel,” Dipper smiled at her, before it faltered slightly. “You know I hate to ask for handouts, but… I wanted to show Bill different things on Earth, take him to the Zoo, the beach, and such, but, uh… I don’t have any American dollars.”

 

“Perhaps we can do an exchange?” Bill quickly suggested, fishing the pouch where he kept his money out of his pocket.

 

“No worries,” Mabel waved them off. “We could even make a double-date!”

 

“No, no, I insist,” Bill opened the pouch and took out a handful of Chronos and Novas, glittering gemstones, cushion cuts for Chronos and marquise cuts for Novas, the many different sizes and colors signifying their value.

 

“Are… are those real gems?” Mabel asked.

 

“They are currency in my country,” Bill explained. “Other countries on my planet use various other stones, but we all use these precious rocks.”

 

“Well, I mean, I wouldn’t mind getting a bunch of alien gemstones, but let’s say it’s more of a gift than payment, okay?” Mabel accepted the stones Bill gave her. “Like, I’d pay for you guys no matter what, you know that right? But it’s not every day you get the chance to receive space minerals.”

 

They were interrupted from further conversation by the sound of the front door opening, and a voice calling out: “Mabel! I’m home!”

 

“Hi, honey,” Mabel responded excitedly. “I’m in the living room! You’ll never guess who came by today!”

 

Bill quickly put his sunglasses back on before Mabel’s fiancée, Pacifica, entered the room.

 

“… Dipper?” Pacifica’s eyebrows shot up, nearly disappearing in her bangs.

 

“Hi,” Dipper gave her a small, polite wave.

 

“Don’t worry, Pacifica, everything’s fine,” Mabel assured the blonde woman. “I… I called the police and it turns out this has all been a huge misunderstanding! Dipper was on a last minute vacation and got shipwrecked! Then he met with Bill here, and now the two of them are married.”

 

Pacifica looked at Mabel before turning a skeptical glance to Dipper. “You haven’t even been gone a year, but apparently that’s enough time for you decide to marry someone? Not only that, you couldn’t even hook a boyfriend or girlfriend here, but you managed to convince some hot guy to marry you?”

 

“Actually, it was more me convincing him,” Bill politely clarified. “And obviously there was something wrong with the people who rejected Pine Tree, since… well, they rejected him.”

 

“’Pine Tree’?” Pacifica threw Mabel a quick glance.

 

“It’s Bill’s nickname for Dipper,” Mabel explained with a big smile on her face. “Bill also thinks he and Dipper are soul mates; isn’t that cute?”

 

“It’s people like that who are most likely to get divorced,” Pacifica let out a tired sigh and turned back to Dipper and Bill. “So, I assume you’ll be staying here? For how long?”

 

“Don’t worry, your highness, we’re only staying for a week,” Dipper rolled his eyes.

 

“I’m going to call everyone and have them visit in a few days,” Mabel added. “So they can see that Dipper’s alright, and meet Bill.”

 

“Fine, great,” Pacifica left the room.

 

“I’d almost forgotten why I hate her,” Dipper slumped back in the couch.

 

“It’s mostly my fault she’s like this,” Mabel whispered sadly. “After you disappeared, well… it took a lot out of me. Pacifica’s been trying to comfort me, but I’ve let our relationship… wilt, for a lack of a better word. She’s been so worried about me, and now you just show up, and she probably thinks all that worrying and all those tears were pointless.”

 

“I am so sorry,” Bill said sincerely. “I never thought our union would create tears in another relationship.”

 

“It’s not like their relationship is over,” Dipper interjected. “Now that everything has a chance to settle down, things might return to normal.”

 

“You’re probably right,” Mabel sighed. “So, uh, what does your husband… eat?”

 

“Oh, my species are omnivores,” Bill explained.

 

“But dairy products don’t really exist on his planet,” Dipper elaborated. “So there’s a good chance he’s lactose intolerant. At the very least, Bill shouldn’t have any dairy; if he gets sick, we can’t bring him to the hospital.”

 

“Got it,” Mabel nodded. She rose from her chair and gave Dipper a hug. “And welcome back, Dipper.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

While Mabel was busy cooking dinner, just spaghetti with homemade sauce, she was surprised to see Bill walk in. She still had her doubts about the alien, mostly because it looked like his species had just kidnapped Dipper out of nowhere.

 

“Oh hi, Bill,” Mabel greeted him. She was in the middle of chopping onions for the sauce, so her eyes were slightly watery.

 

“Are… are you crying?” Bill asked, frowning as he stepped closer.

 

“No, no,” Mabel assured him, drying her eyes in her apron. “It’s just the onions; cutting them makes you cry.”

 

“An evolved defense mechanism, no doubt,” Bill nodded. “I wanted to know if you required help in making the dinner.”

 

“Uh, sure,” Mabel shrugged and handed him the knife. “If you chop the onions, I’ll get the pot heated.”

 

Bill took the knife and began chopping. Meanwhile Mabel pulled out a pot, poured some olive oil in it, and turned on the cook top, letting the oil slowly heat up.

 

“I am happy we were able to visit,” Bill said after a moment of silence. “Pine Tree has missed you, and I have wished to meet you as well.”

 

“Look, Bill,” Mabel sighed and turned away from the pot, only to have a cutting board, covered in perfectly cut onion pieces, given to her. “… Thanks,” she said and added the onions into the sizzling oil. “I can’t really say that I one-hundred percent approve of you. I mean, if you knew about Dipper’s past love life you might understand, but he doesn’t have the best track record.”

 

“I know that; he told me,” Bill responded without missing a beat.

 

“He told you?” Mabel repeated in disbelief; Dipper never talked about his love life, not even to her.

 

“He was very emotional about it,” Bill continued. “I have done my best to heal the wounds of the past, but there are times I wonder if I’ve done enough.”

 

“I have a hard time believing that Dipper told you,” Mabel asserted. “Dipper doesn’t talk about his problems, he never does.”

 

“Well, when you are in a relationship, communication is important,” Bill shrugged. “Naturally, it took a while before he was ready to open up, but once he did, our relationship blossomed.”

 

“No, no, okay,” Mabel shook her head. “Dipper doesn’t talk about things, he doesn’t. He doesn’t even talk to me about things, and I’m his goddamn sister!”

 

“Your brother has come a long way these last months,” Bill simply said and began to leave the kitchen. “I hope you will see that too.”

 

“… Wait,” Mabel grabbed his shoulder and stopped him from leaving. “I’m… I’m sorry…” Tears were starting to fall down her cheeks. “I’ve… I’ve suspected that my brother was going through some tough times for a while now… I tried to help him, I really did, but… he just shut off even more… I tried to give him space, but that didn’t help either… When he first disappeared, I feared the worst; I thought he had… taken his own life… Even after the police investigation began and we learned that he may have been kidnapped instead, I just kept blaming myself, not because I sent him that e-mail, but because he had gotten so bad, so isolated, that his supposed kidnappers thought no one would miss him…”

 

“… It must have been hard,” Bill nodded and placed a comforting hand on Mabel’s shoulder. “I… I know what it is like to lose a family member. My Kethrar died of the disease that tore my planet apart. There are still times I wonder if I could have done something differently. It is not pleasant to admit that such terrible events are beyond our control.”

 

“Yeah,” Mabel responded in agreement. “I’m sorry about your… keathrah…”

 

“I wonder if she would have even approved of Pine Tree,” Bill frowned. “I would like to believe she would, but I honestly do not know.”

 

“I’m sure she would,” Mabel smiled at Bill. “The most important thing to her would be if you’re happy.”

 

“Yes,” Bill smiled back at her. “And it is the same with you and Pine Tree, correct?”

 

“Y-… yeah,” Mabel said after a moment of hesitation. “I want Dipper to be happy.”

 

“I was actually referring to Pine Tree and your fiancée,” Bill added. “They do not seem to like each other, but they both desire for you to be happy.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

“And the two of us want Pine Tree to be happy,” Bill added with a smile. “Let us try and do that.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After dinner, Bill and Dipper lay on the double-sized bed in the guestroom, ready to fall asleep.

 

“This bed is so small compared to what I’m used to now,” Dipper giggled while Bill held him closer.

 

“But that is just the perfect excuse for me to lie closer to you~” Bill smirked.

 

“You don’t need an excuse for that,” Dipper laughed again. “So, what do you think about Mabel?”

 

Bill kissed Dipper lovingly on the forehead. “I think we will be great friends.”

 

 

 

Translations:

 

Wae pofar ontroi zes = Weh hav to tell her (We have to tell her)

 

“Uru iao zoga? = Are you sure?

 

Shur uru a flease vowo = There is nah ofer waey (There is no other way)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading:3 I'll keep working on this, but move some of my attention to Masks & Capes now, since there are a lot of people waiting for that to update too
> 
> Please leave a comment if you want to:3


	10. A Trip To The Zoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper and Bill spends some of their time on Earth visiting a Zoo, giving Dipper a chance to show some of Earth's many different animal species to Bill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, has it really been that long since I last updated? To be fair, I got really stuck on this chapter. Hopefully, next chapter won't take nearly as long:P Sorry for the short length

It was only the third day of Dipper and Bill’s visit to Earth, and it was today they were visiting the Zoo. Bill had been very excited for it, since Zoos didn’t exist on his planet.

 

Dipper had his alarm clock set to seven am, so he could get up early and prepare for the trip, but woke up around eight and discovered that someone had turned his alarm clock off.

 

He got up, put on his clothes, and went downstairs to find Mabel and Bill almost done making breakfast.

 

“Hello, Pine Tree,” Bill greeted him while carrying a plate of scrambled eggs.

 

“Good morning, Bill,” Dipper greeted back, stepping out of the way so Bill could reach the dining table and put down the plate. “Hey, did you turn off my alarm clock.”

 

“Yes,” Bill nodded and walked back to the kitchen, quickly emerging again with a plate of assorted fruits. “So that you would not get up early stress over everything. Breakfast is almost prepared.”

 

Feeling hungry, and slightly speechless, Dipper sat down at the dining table and waited for the others.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

After breakfast, Dipper and Bill headed out for the zoo. The two of them had to take the bus, which turned out to be more exciting for Bill than Dipper had anticipated. Vehicles with wheels were almost an ancient concept to Bill’s people, and they had never had anything similar to a car. Bill looked excitedly out of the window while the bus drove, and described the entire experience as “sailing on the ground”.

 

After arriving at the zoo, and paying the entrance fee, Dipper was free to show Bill some of Earth’s creatures. One of the closest exhibits to the entrance was the lions. Half of the exhibit was closed off with a wall, with an opening in it leading to the lions’ inside containment. Part of the wall also had a window that allowed patrons to observe the lions closer. The other half of the exhibit just used a waist-high iron fence, but around said fence was an area with water, preventing the lions from reaching it.

 

There were three lion cubs, playing with each other on a cut-down tree that had been fashioned into a climbing gym for the lions, while the adult lions lazed around in the sun.

 

“Look at them!” Bill exclaimed in awe. “Look at them, Pine Tree!”

 

“You wanna get a closer look?” Dipper asked pointing to the window where some of the other guests had already gathered.

 

Bill nodded and nearly ran over to the window.

 

“Why does only one of them have hair?” Bill asked, pointing to the male lion through the window.

 

“Oh, that’s called a mane,” Dipper explained. “Adult, male lions have those, unless they’re sick.”

 

The next stop was the penguins. Bill thought they were really funny looking, and got really excited when he heard that penguins mate for life.

 

After the penguins came the seals. The seals’ exhibit had a piece of dry land made to look like an arctic beach, but the majority of the exhibit was a giant swimming area for the seals, which included a window that allowed patrons to see the seals swimming through the water. Bill stood glued to that window for nearly fifteen minutes, just watching the seals swim back and forth through the water, like an underwater ballet.

 

Then came the tropic house; a special area dedicated to tropical birds, along with other animals, like reptiles and insects.

 

 

“This area is filled with butterflies,” Dipper explained when he and Bill entered said part of the tropic house.

 

Bill watched in fascination as all the butterflies fluttered back, forth, and around the area.

 

“There are so many,” Bill whispered in awe.

 

Dipper looked around and then proceeded to turn Bill’s direction to a nearby sign.

 

“There; it’s a list of all the different kinds of butterflies they have,” Dipper said.

 

Near the end of the tropic house was an area containing crocodiles. Bill was very confused when they reached them.

 

“Where are the animals?” Bill asked.

 

“Right there,” Dipper responded, pointing at the reptiles, all of which were lying very still.

 

“Oh, those are not logs,” Bill noted before frowning. “I… think they are dead.”

 

It took a while to explain to Bill that the crocodiles weren’t dead, they were just lying still to lure their prey closer, but afterwards, they made their way to the kids zoo; an area of the zoo mainly composed of farm animals like cows, pigs, and horses, along with a petting zoo with goats.

 

“I believe this area is for children,” Bill noted while two five year olds nearly ran him over to get to the animal-themed playground. “Why are we here?”

 

“In about five minutes, there’ll be a show at the outdoor arena,” Dipper pointed to an area shaded by a tarp, with three rows of benches under. “My sister and I would always watch it whenever we went to the zoo.”

 

“What is the show about?”

 

“Oh, a zookeeper shows up with different animals, and children get to hold and touch them,” Dipper explained. “I remember once the zookeepers had snakes, hedgehogs, and turtles.”

 

While Dipper was busy explaining, more people arrived and sat down in the seats, including families with small children who all wanted to sit on the front row. Finally, a young woman, wearing a zookeeper uniform, came, pushing a trolley with boxes of varying sizes on it.

 

“Hello everyone,” the woman greeted the crowd, stopping the trolley. “My name is Amanda, and I’m here to show you some of the animals we have here in the zoo.”

 

She opened one of the boxes and pulled out a lizard, which was around four inches in length.

 

“Anyone know what this is?” she asked and most of the children excitedly raised a hand.

 

One of the children, a little girl, got to answer, after which all the children got a chance to pet the lizard, and even hold it.

 

Afterwards, zookeeper put the lizard away and pulled a huge snake out of the other boxes. Some of the children looked slightly scared at the sight of the enormous reptile, while others looked surprised at the sheer size of the serpent.

 

“This here is the zoo’s largest constrictor snake,” the zookeeper explained. “Don’t be scared; she’s a real sweetheart.”

 

The snake slithered upward and draped itself behind the zookeeper’s neck. Some of the small kids gasped in fear at the sight, one of them even yelling out a warning to the zookeeper.

 

“Don’t worry,” the zookeeper laughed. “Snakes are coldblooded, which means they get cold very easily. Kinda like when you’ve been out in the snow for hours. And because of this, snakes always try to seek out warm places. Try touching your necks and note how warm they are.”

 

The children did as instructed, and many of them marveled at how warm their necks were.

 

“Now, I’m gonna need an adult to hold this snake, so I can help the kids who wanna pet the smaller ones,” the zookeeper said before pointing to Bill. “Could you help me, sir?”

 

“… Sure,” Bill responded after a moment of surprise. About half the kids present walked over to Bill after he was handed the snake. The snake, however, didn’t stay in Bill’s hands for long, as it slithered towards Dipper’s neck and draped itself around him, forcing Dipper to carry it instead. It seemed like the snake preferred Dipper’s higher body temperature.

 

While all the kids were petting and cooing at the snake, Bill leaned in towards Dipper and whispered to him: “I hope someday our children can experience this.”

 

After the show, they walked around for a while, looking at the many different animals, Bill more enthralled with each exhibit.

 

When it was about time to leave, there was only one last thing Dipper wanted to show Bill; the Night Zoo. It was a separate building, like the tropic zoo, filled with nocturnal animals. A sign outside the building warned against flash photography and lights in general, since it would disturb the animals inside.

 

The first room in the building was where the bats were kept. It was almost entirely dark, except for some black lights. The bats’ exhibit was constructed to look like a cavern, with a giant piece of glass separating the guests and the animals.

 

It was also very quiet inside; everyone spoke in low tones and whispers to avoid disturbing the animals, so the most noise came from the bats screeching, and from some speakers that played typical night sounds, like the sound of crickets and owls, for ambience.

 

It was a gorgeous sight, watching the bats fly back and forth or even just hanging upside down; some of them even hang right in front of the glass wall, allowing patrons to see them up close.

 

“So,” Dipper whispered to Bill while they observed the bats. “How was your first visit to the zoo?”

 

“I enjoyed it immensely,” Bill responded with a smile. “I have had a chance to see all these new animals, and so close too. It has been wonderful.”

 

Bill placed a hand on Dipper’s shoulder, gently turning him away from the exhibit, and towards Bill.

 

Dipper stared at Bill; with the black lights being the only source of light, it made Bill look… enchanting, there was no other word for it.

 

Dipper leaned forward, tilting his neck to meet Bill’s lips. They felt soft like velvet and made Dipper’s entire body shiver at the sensation.

 

Overall, a rather pleasant outing.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

It was on the fifth day that Dipper’s family would visit. His parents, grandfather, and two great-uncles were the only close family members who’d show up, and most likely the only ones who cared about Dipper being alright. Aside from them, there was, his grandfather’s second wife whom Dipper had no idea why she would show up, especially since she didn’t like anyone in the family, his aunt on his mother’s side, who lived for drama and had never particularly liked Dipper, his aunt’s husband who most of the time acted more like an accessory to his wife than a husband, and their daughter, Dipper’s cousin, who always gave off the vibe that she either hated Dipper in a very passive-aggressive way or that she wanted to date him, and Dipper honestly crossed fingers for the former.

 

Needless to say, Dipper was nervous; if how Mabel had reacted was any indication, his family had become convinced that Dipper had been kidnapped and subjected to various forms for abuse and terrifying acts. Really, only the kidnapping part held any kind of truth, and even then it had been based on a misunderstanding.

 

Still, Dipper was worried. He wanted his family to like Bill, but even if he could convince them that Bill wasn’t a criminal scumbag, they would probably always see Bill as the one who took Dipper away from them.

 

Dipper sighed and continued polishing the silverware, all in preparation for when the various members of his family showed up.

 

“You’re _still_ polishing the silverware?” Dipper let out a small gasp in surprise and turned to find his sister. He had been so lost in thoughts he hadn’t noticed her entering the kitchen.

 

“Yeah, I’m just…” he paused and put the spoon he had been polishing down. “… getting done…”

 

“Something bothering you?” Mabel asked.

 

“… When is everyone getting here?”

 

“Uh, mom and dad should get here first, in about an hour. Then Aunt Sharon, Uncle Ron, and Cousin Adina. Then Grandpa Shermy… Uh, Granny Alice didn’t give a specific time, and neither did Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford, but they said they would be here before seven.”

 

“Oh, okay,” Dipper swallowed and made to leave, but was blocked by Mabel.

 

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

 

“I just…” Dipper sighed and let out a frustrated groan. “I know this is going to be a disaster! I want Bill to like our family, and I want our family to like Bill, but with how you reacted when I first got here, a-and Aunt Sharon showing up with her family-“

 

“Dipper, everyone was very worried about you!” Mabel insisted. “Why else would they travel all the way here?”

 

“Curiosity?” Dipper suggested. “Whatever the reason, it’s not to see if I’m okay. If anything, they’re probably hoping Bill’s an abusive jerk or something.”

 

“You think that mom and dad-“

 

“I’m not talking about mom and dad!” Dipper interrupted. “Mom, dad, Grandpa Shermy, Grunkle Stan, and Grunkle Ford; I know they have my best interest in mind. Everyone else who’s coming; not so much. I want Bill to see our family as his. Bill doesn’t really have a family himself…”

 

“I know this is hard for you,” Mabel placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “But… maybe they’ll surprise you?”

 

“… I doubt it,” Dipper sighed.

 

His parents showed up only fifty minutes later; their arrival was signaled by the doorbell ringing.

 

“I’ll get it!” Dipper shouted and went to the front door. As soon as he opened it, he was pulled into his mother’s arms.

 

“Oh, Dipper!” she sobbed and held him close. “It’s really you! I almost couldn’t believe it when Mabel called!”

 

“H-hey, give him some space, honey,” Dipper’s father interjected. Dipper was surprised to see that his dad’s eyes were shining with unshed tears.

 

“Who is it?” Bill’s voice sounded from behind him. Dipper didn’t need to see to know that both of his parents were staring at Bill.

 

“Um, mom? Dad?” Dipper let out a nervous cough. “This is Bill… he’s my husband.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading:3 I'm not sure what I'll post next, probably another update to Cipher's House 2. I'll be working on that, next chapter of Masks & Capes, and a couple of other things. Some of my readers might know that I alternate between updating Abducted and Masks & Capes, so I won't be updating this until I've updated Masks & Capes.
> 
> Please leave a comment if you want to:3


	11. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper gets to spend an evening with his family before he and Bill returns to Noulara.

For a moment, no one spoke. Dipper’s parents were just staring at Bill with blank expressions, and Bill’s expression was hard to read because of the sunglasses.

 

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Bill broke the silence with a greeting, stepping forward with an outstretched hand like he had seen humans do.

 

Dipper’s dad awkwardly accepted Bill’s handshake while his mother just stared from Bill to Dipper.

 

“Husband?” Dipper’s mom repeated.

 

“D-didn’t Mabel tell you?” Dipper asked.

 

“She… did say you were with someone,” his dad responded as he ended the handshake. “But, anyway, the important thing is that you’re okay!”

 

“I have been looking forward to meeting both of you!” Bill said in an excited tone.

 

“Well, we’re glad to meet you as well,” Dipper’s mom smile, the mood already lightened and the previous awkwardness forgotten. “But, um, if you don’t mind me asking… Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors at night?”

 

“My eyes are sensitive to light,” Bill expertly lied, remembering what Dipper had told him to say if anyone asked.

 

“Well, we shouldn’t be standing around here,” Dipper’s dad interjected. “How about me and my wife take off our coats, and then we move the conversation into the living room?”

 

Inside the living room, a plate of cookies and chocolates had been placed for the guests, along with several mugs and a kettle of coffee. Mabel was standing in the living room when her parents stepped inside.

 

“Mom! Dad!” Mabel greeted them excitedly and ran over to hug them.

 

“Hi sweetie,” her mom said returning the hug.

 

“How’s my little angel?” her dad added, ruffling her hair affectionately.

 

“ _Dad_ ,” Mabel laughed and shooed his hands away. “Me and Pacifica are cooking tonight. Dinner should be ready in about half an hour, so I hope everyone else has arrived at that point.”

 

“I can’t wait, sweetheart,” her mother cooed before sitting down in the couch with her husband sitting next to her. Mabel left the living room to go back to the kitchen, while Dipper and Bill sat down in the couch opposite of Dipper’s parents.

 

“So, how did you two meet?” Dipper’s dad asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

 

“Oh, it’s… it’s a long story,” Dipper let out an awkward cough before continuing. “So that e-mail Mabel sent me was for a kind of… vacation slash matchmaking thing. I- I had to leave pretty suddenly, so sorry that I let you all worry about me.”

 

“That’s okay, sweetie,” Dipper’s mom assured him. “As long as you’re okay.”

 

“Well, the, um, the ship I was travelling on crashed, and I wound up in Bill’s homeland, and we just sort of met up and fell in love.”

 

“I knew from the moment I first saw Pine Tree that I loved him,” Bill added with a small nod.

 

“It took me a bit longer to fall for Bill,” Dipper giggled.

 

Their conversation was cut short when the sound of the front slamming open was heard, followed by the sound of several footsteps.

 

“Oh, Mason!” a middle-aged woman stepped inside the living room, followed by a middle-aged man, and a young woman. The middle-aged woman nearly leapt over to Dipper and hugged him. “We almost couldn’t believe that you had been found! We had to come see it for ourselves! I can’t even imagine the things you must have been through!”

 

“Hi, Aunt Sharon,” Dipper said unenthusiastically. “Uncle Ron, Cousin Adina.”

 

“Who’s that guy?” Adina asked with an obvious sneer, pointing at Bill.

 

“Is he your friend?” Sharon asked, finally letting go of Dipper.

 

“No, he’s my husband,” Dipper responded.

 

A hush fell over everyone, except for Adina who let out a scoffing laugh.

 

“Sharon,” Dipper’s mother said, trying to salvage the awkward situation. “It’s so great to see you again; it’s been ages.”

 

“Haha, yes, we have all been busy,” Sharon laughed, turning her attention towards her sister. Like always, her husband seemed to have no real reaction to what was happening, and just followed his wife and turned his attention away from Dipper and Bill. That left Adina who was still staring from Dipper to Bill and back.

 

“So, like, I assume Mason’s the girl in your relationship, right?” Adina started.

 

Dipper just pinched his brow, already feeling the stress dealing with this side of his family would do.

 

“Who is Mason?” Bill asked.

 

“Your husband?” Adina responded as if it was self-explanatory. “Or I guess wife is more accurate.” She giggled at the last part.

 

“You mean Dipper?” Bill looked at her with obvious confusion, despite the sunglasses blocking off his eyes.

 

“I bet you probably thought he was a girl at first, right?” Adina continued to giggle. “Not that there’s anything wrong with feminine men.”

 

“… Dipper is my husband, not my wife,” Bill said slowly, still looking very confused. “And he is very obviously male.”

 

“Wow, you’re just clueless, aren’t you?” Adina looked at Bill with a mock-impressed expression, before turning back to Dipper. “I didn’t know your turn-ons included idiots, Mason.”

 

“Adina, could you just for once-“ Dipper was about to tell his cousin off when a knock was heard on the door.

 

“I’ll get it!” he heard Mabel shout before rushing into the living room to get to the front door. “Hi everyone! So good to see you!” Mabel greeted everyone quickly as she made her way through the living room. “Gotta go get the door!”

 

Dipper heard the sound of the front door opening, followed by Mabel’s excited squealing.

 

“Grandpa Shermy! Grunkle Ford! Grunkle Stan!” Mabel laughed loudly, and soon she and the three elderly men entered the living room.

 

“Good to see you’re alright, kid,” Grunkle Stan greeted Dipper, giving him a playful shoulder punch that only hurt a little.

 

“Stanley, be nice to the boy,” Grandpa Shermy scolded him. “He’s been through a lot.”

 

“Not really,” Dipper tried to steer the direction away from all the rumors his family had heard about his disappearance. “I-it’s just been a big misunderstanding.”

 

“Who’s that?” Grunkle Ford pointed at Bill.

 

“That’s my husband; Bill,” Dipper explained. “I met him while I was away, and we just sort of clicked.”

 

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Bill greeted Ford with a bright smile and stretched out his hand.

 

“Likewise,” Ford responded, but lacking a smile of his own. He accepted Bill’s handshake, but lingered on it a bit too long. “So, Bill, where are you from? I don’t recognize your accent.”

 

“Auldria,” Bill replied honestly before moving over to the lie. “It is a small country in Africa.”

 

“Auldria doesn’t sound like an Africa country,” Ford continued.

 

“W-well, you know British Imperialism and all that,” Dipper attempted to explain.

 

“Dipper, can I speak to you in private for a moment?” Ford asked.

 

“Uh, sure,” Dipper shrugged, fearing that Ford had somehow seen through his lies. He gave Bill a small wave before following Ford upstairs into the guest room he and Bill slept in.

 

“What’s going on, Dipper?” Ford asked as soon as the door was closed.

 

“W-what do you mean?” Dipper tried to sound nonchalant, but knew he was failing.

 

“I know for a fact that no country called ‘Auldria’ exists,” Ford explained. “I’ve also been looking into this whole disappearance case, and you aren’t the only who received that e-mail and then disappeared. So tell me, what happened to the other victims?”

 

“How should I know?!” Dipper was starting to panic; if Ford thought Bill was part of a human trafficking ring, like Mabel had, he would undoubtedly call the police. Then it would only be a matter of time before they discovered Bill wasn’t human. “I’m telling you, I’m fine!”

 

“Dipper, I know your ‘husband’ isn’t human,” Ford finally said. “His body temperature is too low-“

 

“He just has really cold hands!” Dipper interrupted.

 

“Then explain his teeth; they are way too sharp to be human,” Ford countered.

 

Dipper got quiet; he hadn’t thought anyone would notice Bill’s teeth.

 

“What is he?”

 

“He… I can’t tell you, Grunkle Ford!” Dipper shouted. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone, and I’ve already told Mabel, because she wanted to call the cops on Bill! You just have to trust me when I say I’m in good hands; Bill would never do anything to hurt me.”

 

“He’s a demon, isn’t he?” Ford more stated than asked. Dipper was flabbergasted for a moment, but his wide eyes and slightly opened mouth must have been seen as confirmation for Ford. “I knew it.”

 

“Grunkle Ford…” Dipper sighed and decided it was better that Ford thought Bill was a demon rather than telling the truth; at least this way, he was keeping everything a secret. “Just don’t tell anyone, okay?”

 

“Oh, nobody would believe me if I did,” Ford shook his head. “I just wanted to confirm my theory, and make sure everything’s okay with you. So, a demonic marriage?”

 

“Yeah,” Dipper shrugged. “I guess so.”

 

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of yelling from downstairs. The words were muffled, but it sounded like Grandpa Shermy. Dipper opened the door, and he and Ford walked back to the living room.

 

“Why did you invite that witch!?” Shermy was yelling at Dipper’s father when they arrived. They noticed that Granny Alice, Shermy’s ex-wife, had shown up.

 

“She wanted to make sure Dipper was alright,” Dipper’s father argued. “She’s been a big part of the twins’ lives!”

 

“Stop fighting everyone,” Mabel pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

 

“Oh, Mason’s back,” Adina noted and stepped up to Dipper. “So, I’ve been talking to your ‘husband’, and I can’t figure out what you see in him. But he’s black, so it’s probably because he’s got a huge dick, right?”

 

“Adina!” Dipper’s mother exclaimed.

 

“What? I was just asking a question,” Adina shrugged.

 

“Sharon, aren’t you going to say anything to your daughter?”

 

“Why should I?” Sharon asked, glaring angrily at her sister. “She’s allowed to ask questions.”

 

Everyone, except for Dipper, Bill, and Mabel, had begun fighting now. Dipper could barely keep track of how many arguments were going on. Dipper sneaked over to Bill and led him out of the room. He just managed to hear Pacifica stepping out of the kitchen to announce that dinner was ready, only to be ignored by everyone.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Dipper and Bill had moved to the roof; they were lying in each other’s arms and looking at the stars, finally in peace from the arguing downstairs.

 

“Sorry about this, Bill,” Dipper said, his face tinted red in embarrassment. “My family… isn’t the greatest.”

 

“Well, I like your parents and your sister,” Bill offered in an optimistic tone. “And I am sure I would love the rest of them if I could spend more time with them.”

 

“Well, then you should probably try your damndest to convince the council to let us come back again,” Dipper laughed, playfully poking Bill in the chest. “Because I am not dealing with any more drama tonight.”

 

For a moment they just lied in comfortable silence, enjoying the evening breeze and solitude.

 

“There,” Bill suddenly said, pointing to the sky. “That looks like the markings on your forehead.”

 

“Yeah, it’s the Big Dipper,” Dipper explained. “It’s where I got my nickname from.”

 

“… Dipper is not your real name?” Bill asked, sounding slightly perturbed.

 

“No, Mason in,” Dipper responded.

 

“So _that_ is why those people called you ‘Mason’,” Bill said in sudden realization. “… Can I still call you ‘Pine Tree’?”

 

“Of course,” Dipper laughed and snuggled closer to Bill.

 

They were distracted by the window opening up and Mabel’s head poking outside.

 

“Hi guys,” she greeted them with a small wave. “Can I… join you?”

 

“Is everyone still fighting?” Dipper asked and Mabel responded with a small nod.

 

Dipper and Bill scooted further away from the window to give Mabel room, and sat up instead of lying down. Bill still kept an arm around Dipper though.

 

“Besides,” Mabel continued, sitting down beside Dipper. “You’re leaving in a couple of days; I wanted to spend some more time with you.”

 

A couple seconds later, a hand holding a bottle of champagne popped out of the window.

 

“Hey,” Pacifica greeted them as she crawled out of the window, champagne in hand. “I’d rather join your party than deal with the one downstairs.”

 

“The more the merrier,” Dipper giggled.

 

Soon after, Pacifica started passing the bottle around so everyone could get a taste.

 

“I’m only getting a sip,” Dipper said when the bottle reached him. “I do not want a hangover tomorrow.”

 

“More alcohol, then?” Bill asked after Dipper had taken his sip.

 

“You want a taste?” Dipper suggested. “Maybe you’ll like this one.”

 

Bill accepted the bottle and took a small taste, almost immediately spitting it out.

 

“I hate alcohol,” Bill complained and passed the bottle back to Dipper while everyone laughed.

 

“So, you and Bill are leaving soon, huh?” Pacifica suddenly asked, her previous laughter forgotten as her voice took on a more forlorn tone.

 

“We have to,” Dipper mumbled.

 

“It’s a shame you’re gonna miss the wedding,” Pacifica responded. “Can’t you come back for that? It’s in like, three months?”

 

“Yeah,” Mabel nodded to herself, knowing why her brother couldn’t be there.

 

“… I will do my utmost to make sure we will be there,” Bill swore.

 

“Bill…” Dipper was about to protest, but he supposed if Bill talked to the council there was a possibility, however small.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

The group rejoined the rest of the party once they felt things had quieted down. There were still more fights during the evening, but at least there weren’t any more big ones where everyone in the family participated.

 

The only other noteworthy thing that had happened was, when Grunkle Ford had left with Grunkle Stand and Grandpa Shermy, he had said ‘Live long and prosper” to Dipper. Dipper knew it was a reference to a scifi show, making him wonder if perhaps Ford knew Bill was an alien, but had said he was a demon to help cover for him? Dipper wasn’t sure, but in the end it didn’t make that much of a difference.

 

A few days later, Dipper and Bill had to return to the place they were dropped off, and go back to Noulara. Dipper said goodbye to Mabel and Bill promised her that he would everything within his power to make sure Dipper could visit Earth again.

 

And with that, they were off. They were picked up at the designated time and were on their way back.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Not much happened during their three day travel back, but when they were around twelve hours away from Noulara, and close enough to get into direct contact with their home, Bill wanted to send a message to their staff that they would soon be back, as well as hear how the eggs were doing.

 

Dipper sat beside Bill as they made the call; he too wanted to make sure their eggs were okay.

 

The screen in front of them flickered for a moment before they could see the face and upper body of Krolym on the screen, he being the one who was taking care of the house while they were gone.

 

“Jirik mirmi, Siheas Brhithel, Niheas Dipper,” Krolym greeted them.

 

“In English, please,” Bill requested. Krolym let out a small sigh, but nonetheless complied.

 

“I go out from that you are closing on Noulara?” Krolym asked.

 

“We will be there in about twelve hours,” Bill responded. “Has there been any incident while we were gone?”

 

In the background, the faint sound of doorbell could be heard, followed by someone yelling: “Mri naroa ern!”

 

“No, everything have been quiet and peaceful,” Krolym assured them. “Runaepha reported there was an minor dispute about the building material to be used in the new Glygliotem, but others nothing.”

 

“What about the eggs?” Dipper asked.

 

“They have been kept warm, and doing well,” Krolym answered before he was pushed aside and the face of the eggs caretaker in their absence, Phofia showed up on the screen.

 

“Good evening!” she greeted them happily with a big smile. “I heard you talk with Krolym and then you mentioned the eggs?”

 

“Yeah, how are they doing?” Dipper repeated his question for Phofia.

 

“Oh, lonohises! I mean fantastic!” Phofia quickly corrected herself. “I was just about to see to them now. We can not wait on you getting home!”

 

Phofia left the screen and Krolym took back his spot, giving Phofia an indignant look as she walked away.

 

“That was all we wanted to know, Krolym,” Bill laughed. “We will be seeing you again soon.”

 

And with that they signed off.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

As they got closer to the planet, Dipper was starting to feel sick. He asked Bill about it while the ship was landing.

 

“I don’t know what it is,” Dipper rubbed his stomach trying to quell the nausea. “I just… really don’t feel well.”

 

“Maybe your body is having a bad reaction to space travel?” Bill suggested.

 

“Then why didn’t I feel sick when we travelled to Earth?” Dipper asked.

 

“Perhaps due to your excitement? Or maybe you are feeling more stressed now than when we left? If you are still feeling ill tomorrow, or if it gets worse, we will contact a doctor.”

 

Dipper smiled and leaned in closer to Bill.

 

After the ship had landed, they got into the Noulara-equivalent of a taxi, which brought them home, where a foreign vehicle was parked out in front.

 

Bill’s arm involuntarily flexed when he saw the vehicle, but Dipper didn’t get a chance to ask what it was or meant before Bill dragged him inside the house. Inside, three Crauhlohs that Dipper didn’t recognize were, all three wearing some kind of green uniform.

 

“Siheas Brhithel Chiypherqi,” one of them said, bowing her head to Bill, with the others following her example. “Niheas Deepurr Puiyns,” she turned to Dipper and bowed to him, the two others also copying this action. “Waei voazor dus, hmar…” she paused for a moment as if what she was about to say would be very difficult. “Omiez Ishinir uru xlev morpheles.”

 

Dipper understood most of what had been said, except for that last word. He turned to Bill, who looked like he was about to pass out.

 

“What happened to our eggs?” Dipper asked Bill, knowing that no matter what the answer was, he wouldn’t be prepared for it.

 

“They have… morpheles,” Bill gasped, repeating that word that Dipper didn’t know. “… Taken.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jirik mirmi = Good evening
> 
> Mri naroa ern = I'll get it
> 
> Glygliotem = A building of books and records, similar to a library
> 
> Lonohises = Wonderful
> 
> Waei voazor dus, hmar = We deeply regret this, but
> 
> Omiez Ishinir uru xlev morpheles = Your eggs have been kidnapped
> 
> Hi everyone! Glad I was able to keep my promise:3 Those of you who don't follow my other fic, Masks & Capes, probably don't know what I'm talking about, but I explained it all in the end notes on Chapter 16. Long story short, I've had some bad depression that made it difficult to write, but I think I've gotten past it, and so I'm updating all my unfinished fics! Now that I've added a new chapter here, the next fic will either by Lovesick or College Crush with the other one following, Cipher's House: Fallen Star, and finally The Demon's Kingdom.
> 
> I want to thank each and everyone one of you for your patience and support, it means the world to me:3


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